Issue 029
Welcome back to E&O Wednesdays, the enrollment-focused digital health newsletter from Exits & Outcomes — for paying subscribers only. This every-other-Wednesday issue digs into digital health companies that sell to self-insured employers as well as others that rely on enrollment-based distribution for their digital health programs.
E&O Wednesdays
Three quick bullets before some longer items below…
- I noticed a small employer that contracts with Aetna announced to their employees that they had swapped out Teladoc with 98point6’s text-based primary care offering. I don’t know the specifics of the Aetna deal, but a little digging revealed that 98point6 usually prices its services at the low price of $1 PEPM. That’s with no co-pays for PPO members and $5 per visit for others. That pricing is typical for the company’s 12- or 24-month agreements.
- The news you know: Glen Tullman’s Transcarent raised another $200 million. Here’s something you might not know: Its investor Kinnevik kicked in $60 million of that and now owns 3 percent of the company. In a statement the investor noted that: “Kinnevik’s USD 60m investment and ambition to support Transcarent with more capital over the coming years comes on the back of having released some USD 240m out of Kinnevik’s Teladoc investment by selling one-third of Kinnevik’s stake during December last year, as part of its strategy to reallocate capital dynamically.”
- One more thing… I found this 18-page manifesto from JP Morgan’s healthcare-focused business unit, Morgan Health, an interesting read on transitioning employer-sponsored health care to accountable care. (Remember: Morgan Health-backed Vera Whole Health just acquired Castlight Health, which took the public company private, last week.) Check out the Morgan Health manifesto here.
Was this forwarded to you? Increasingly, E&O is a covered benefit from many forward-looking digital health-focused employers. Why not yours? Consider a Business or Enterprise subscription today. Click this link to become a paying subscriber (there are personal plans available too).
Activision dropped Robin Care, Heal and added BetterHelp, Workit Health
Here’s a new recurring feature: I’m going to look back at a big employer stack from yesteryear and check to see which new digital health companies the employer is working with now and which digital health partners they (or their health plan) decided to drop.
First up: video game giant Activision Blizzard. I dug into Activision’s benefits stack in Issue 002 of this Wednedays newsletter, and at the time I was scoping out the company’s 2020 benefits stack.
So below are the program changes in 2021 and 2022:
AB dropped Robin Care for cancer support.
This startup offered all Activision employees no-cost cancer care management, which included:
“24/7 access to a team of coaches, oncology nurses, and social workers to help them navigate their journey. The web and mobile apps provide education, tools, and resources to empower patients every step of the way. From prepping for appointments to tracking how you feel, Robin Care is here to help.”
Despite having a big-name employer client like Activision Blizzard, Robin Care’s website is offline. Most of its employees have gone elsewhere. It appears to have gone out of business.
AB dropped Heal for house calls:
At least it stopped promoting them to its employees. This was already a limited offering for some AB employees in certain California zip codes. It was also only available to those who opted for a Collective Health PPO plan. I wonder if Humana’s $100 million investment into Heal back in July 2020 soured the house call company’s relationship with Collective Health? Anyway, here’s how I summed up this benefit back in Issue 002:
“Heal sends a doctor to you for house calls. (They do telehealth too but Activision only offers DoD for those. See above.) This service is only available in some geographies. Visits are $99 for CDHP plan members (who have not met their deductible) and $20 co-pay for Collective Health In-Network and PPO 500 members. But preventive care, like annual physicals, are covered at no cost across the board. Heal says that the doctors are typically available within two hours.”
AB added Workit Health for addiction programs:
In 2021 Activision added Workit Health’s addiction-focused programs. Here’s the pitch:
“Workit Health allows you to receive expert addiction support from home via live chat and video. Workit Health’s recovery counselors help you moderate or quit drinking, drugs, smoking, or behaviors like gambling. Meet with a licensed counselor weekly to stay accountable to your recovery goals. Work through a customized curriculum built on the latest evidence-based techniques to overcome addiction. All Workit Health online therapy programs are at no cost to you, your spouse/domestic partner, and your dependent children over the age of 18 if enrolled in our medical plan.”
AB’s EAP Magellan added BetterHelp for virtual therapy:
While AB worked with Magellan back in 2020, the EAP added BetterHelp at some point that year during the pandemic. Here’s how AB pitches this to employees for 2022:
“Virtual therapy is available through BetterHelp and allows you to access therapy quickly (typically within 24 hours) via text message, live chat, phone conference, and video conference. Virtual therapy sessions count towards the eight free EAP sessions available to you and your household members per issue, per 12 months.”
Big employer digital health stack: General Mills
Digital health companies love to boast how many Fortune 500 customers they have. This recurring feature of E&O Wednesdays digs into a different Fortune 500’s (or similarly-sized employer’s) digital health stack. So far, in past Wednesdays issues, I’ve written about the digital health benefits stacks of 28 big companies — click any of their names below to read that previously published Wednesdays newsletter over at the E&O site:
- Walmart,
- Activision Blizzard,
- JP Morgan Chase,
- The Home Depot,
- Boeing,
- 3M,
- Chevron,
- BorgWarner,
- Bank of America,
- UnitedHealth Group,
- Costco,
- eBay,
- McKesson,
- Ford,
- Dell,
- AT&T,
- Disney,
- Novartis,
- Red Bull,
- VMware,
- T-Mobile/Sprint,
- Adobe,
- Phillips 66,
- Cox Enterprises,
- Wells Fargo,
- PayPal,
- Facebook,
- and Sony Pictures.
This week, I dug into the digital health benefits that cereal maker General Mills is offering its employees for 2022. “Big G” is the nickname that some have given the company, which is a pretty funny name for the maker of Lucky Charms. Big G also owns other brands like Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Haagen-Dazs, and many more. It employs some 35,000 people.
Here’s what I found:
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota is Big G’s main health plan provider.
Spring Health is General Mills’ featured benefit for 2022
In Issue 028 of E&O Wednesdays, I wrote about how Sony Pictures had replaced its former EAP with Spring Health. Coincidentally, Big G also offers Spring Health to its employees and has done so since the start of 2021. For 2022, Spring Health has prime positioning in General Mills’ enrollment materials.
Here’s what Spring offers to Big G employees:
- “In-app wellness exercises — Support your mental fitness on-the-go, with exercises in meditation, better sleep and more
- Personalized recommendations — Assessments to identify the right care for your needs, learn more about yourself and track your progress
- Dedicated support — Receive guidance along your journey from your personal Care Navigator
- Therapy — Book sessions with trusted providers at times that fit your schedule. Costs for the first six sessions are fully covered on an annual basis. (Virtual and in-person therapy sessions, when available)
- Substance Use — Access to a specialized and comprehensive support program for any drug or alcohol concerns. Currently available to employees and dependents ages 18+
- Medication — Speak with psychiatrists to manage medications, when appropriate
- Unlimited coaching — Receive tips for managing stress, increasing focus, and more
- Additional services — Access services to help you navigate life’s challenges, from legal guidance to financial planning and more”
Alight’s ConsumerMedical is Big G’s benefits navigator
Benefits platform provider Alight acquired ConsumerMedical last August. ConsumerMedical seemed to add a second opinions service into its portfolio. (It also seems to help steer employees to appropriate places of care.) Here’s how the Big G pitches ConsumerMedical to its employees:
“ConsumerMedical is your go-to resource for your questions and concerns related to all medical conditions and treatment support. Their team of doctors, nurse allies and researchers offers personalized, one-on-one support to help you make medical decisions with confidence.”
My Wellbeing powered by Virgin Pulse
Big G doesn’t provide much information about its wellness program from Virgin Pulse to convince employees to sign up, but it looks like it has offered it for a few years now. VP’s app helps employees track steps, activity levels, sleep, and other observations of daily living to try to motivate better health decisions. Typically, employers also offer some monetary incentives and challenges via Virgin Pulse. Here’s the pitch:
“Life moves fast — with never-ending to-do lists and little time to focus on ourselves. It’s becoming even harder to prioritize our own well-being. But, General Mills wants to reinforce the importance of taking time to focus on our own wellbeing every single day with the My Wellbeing program powered by Virgin Pulse.”
Big G offers Omada but the pitch doesn’t mention prediabetes or diabetes
Big G’s deployment of Omada Health’s program makes no mention of any chronic conditions or pre-diabetes. Instead, Omada is positioned as a health behavior change program:
“Omada is personalized to help you reach your health goals—whether that’s losing weight, gaining energy, or improving your overall health. All at no cost to you… Many diets, programs, and apps tell you how to get healthy their way. Omada helps you find your way.”
BCBS MN works with Included Health’s Doctor on Demand for virtual visits
Reminder: Doctor on Demand is now owned by Grand Rounds and the combined entity rebranded as Included Health. Well, DoD is BCBS MN’s virtual visits partner.
“You have access to Doctor On Demand’s Urgent Care + Behavioral Health providers. The average wait time to see an urgent care provider is usually 5 minutes or less. Behavioral health appointments are generally available within a few days.”
Medical visits for Commercial plan members run $58.21 while Therapy appointments for Commercial plan members average $139.47 and Psychiatry visits for commercial plan members are $293.49. The exact pricing depends on how long the visit is in some cases. Included Health sneaks in a plug for Grand Rounds on its landing page for DoD designed specifically for BCBSMN members:
“Through Grand Rounds Health, you have access to Expert Medical Opinions (EMO). Click the Learn More button above.”
Big G, as noted up top, already pays Alight’s ConsumerMedical for this. That’s a good example of digital health consolidation leading to confusing benefits stacks for employees.
Teladoc no longer works with Big G?
One name I expected to see in General Mills’ stack was Teladoc’s. The company has included General Mills on its short list of big customers for years. After not finding a Teladoc pitch in the Big G’s stack, I Googled around and noticed Teladoc stopped mentioning them in 2020.
Well, that’s a wrap on General Mills’ digital health benefits stack. Some of these stacks are easier to figure out than others (so no promises), but let me know which company’s digital health benefits you’d like to learn more about by hitting reply to this email. If you happen to work at a Fortune 500 company (and I know that’s a lot of you), then please send me your benefits information.
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