Infographic: Employees put off medical treatment but embrace virtual care

1. 01

   44% say they’ve deferred medical care since thepandemic began.

   Why?:
   61% - COVID-19 exposure concerns, 42% - money worries.

   Those with money worries deferred:

   • 73% - routine screening/checkup*,
   • 52% - illness treatment/diagnosis,
   • 52% - care for mental health issues,
   • 51% - care for chronic conditions

   *Employees may be deferring care that their medical plan would cover.

2. 02

   Many who deferred care intend to increase health care use post-pandemic

   • 63% of those with money concerns vs.
   • 29% of those worried about COVID-19 exposure and
   • 57%% of those who deferred mental health treatment:
   • 53% of those who deferred care for chronic conditions.

   Mental health services are in demand.

3. 03

   60% who deferred medical treatment turned to virtual care.

   60% who deferred medical treatment turned to virtual care.

   4 in 5 employees consider it to be at least as good as face-to-face consultations

   Employees used virtual care for:

   • Routine screenings: 35%;
   • Treatment/diagnosis of new illness: 21%;
   • Care for chronic conditions: 21%;
   • Care for mental health issues: 20%

4. 04

   Employees with mental health issues are much more likely to get help via virtual care.

   Percentage of virtual care users and non-users able to obtain needed help for mental health issues.

   • ($100,000 or more 77% users, 55% non-users;
   • $50,000 - $99,999 66% users, 50% non-users;
   • less than $50,000 54% users, 34% non-users;
   • female 59% users, 37% non-users;
   • male 70% users, 50% non-users;
   • white/Caucasian 70% users, 45% non-users;
   • Black/African America 57% users, 27% non-users;
   • Hispanic 56% users, 47% non-users)

   Low-income employees are over 40% more likely to say they got the care they needed when using virtual care.

5. 05

   Where do we go from here?

   Virtual care opens additional pathways to access affordable and quality health care. 7 in 10 employees say they would consider using it in the future. 8 in 10 current users would consider it again.

Call to action: Consider expanding virtual care options and communicate effectively so your employees understand the value of their benefits and how they can get the care they need.

Source: 2020 Global Benefits Attitudes Survey – U.S. Employee survey conducted in October 2020