In public health, we work to make the healthy choice an easy choice and help people adopt a healthy lifestyle.
Often, however, the cost of health care is a determining factor in the decisions people make about their health. It can prevent someone from seeking medical care or even force a choice between grocery shopping or filling important prescriptions.
Basic needs must be addressed first for someone to reach their healthiest state. For example, someone who doesn’t know where their next meal will come from or is struggling to feed their family is less likely to prioritize checking their blood sugar or taking time off to get their eyes or feet checked .
I learned early in my career that health insurance can significantly change lives, especially if someone has the means to take advantage of the different options available for more affordable, accessible, and higher quality care.
What I learned from leading public health
As a former director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, I saw how health insurance providers helped public health bridge the gap between the immediate health care needs of the community to directly help people thrive.
I’ve worked with health insurance providers on a variety of programs, from the Arizona Department of Health Services Opioid Emergency Response and the Arizona Health Improvement Plan to the mammoth task of coordinating a mass vaccination site in State Farm Stadium. With every opportunity, I saw an incredible willingness to step up and make a difference in the lives of Arizonans.
Rising Costs: You’ll need about $150,000 for out-of-pocket health costs
Collaborating with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona team members on these projects gave me an insight into their deep commitment to the community. I was also able to see firsthand that the health issues I’m especially passionate about are the very issues Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona is laser-focused on solving, whether it’s substance use disorder, mental health, chronic diseases or equity in health.
It also reinforced for me that promoting the well-being of our community is more than just a job for public health agencies. He made me realize that joining the health insurance industry to work on population health from a different perspective would be the opportunity of a lifetime.
Why is ‘whole person health’ important?
As the medical director of the largest health insurer in the state, there are many opportunities to inspire health.
Whether upgrading or negotiating contracts to ensure affordability or implementing programs to improve health outcomes, a key component of the role is finding even more ways to improve health. This includes everything from addressing current public health priorities to implementing life-changing programs that ensure health equity and invest in Arizona’s well-being.
In this new role, I have prioritized addressing the “whole health of the person”. Over the past five years, while Arizonans reported feeling physically healthier, mental anguish has increased.
To address this, we are working to implement an integrated medical management strategy that combines physical health, behavioral health, and vital social determinants of health.
The goal is to create a best-in-class model that will continue to improve health throughout Arizona. At the grassroots level, that means improving the status quo so that no Arizonan is forced to decide between accessing health care or putting food on the table.
How diabetes care can affect public health
One of the first key health conditions we are addressing is diabetes. According to the Surveillance Survey of Behavioral Risk Factors1 in 10 Arizona adults has diabetes.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona is partnering with the Arizona Department of Health Services and other partners in the community to spearhead our Diabetes Action Plan that will work to lower HgbA1c (a blood sugar test) blood), increase engagement of members living with diabetes, increase provider coordination and accessibility, reduce outcome disparities among members, and conduct routine diabetes surveillance.
By 2025, our goal is to reduce the progression of diabetes by 25%. We will not only be helping our members living with diabetes and prediabetes, but we will also be trying to improve public health in our communities across the state.
Leading the state’s public health system allows me to bring a different perspective to the clinical team at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, as well as peers in the industry. My goal is to introduce and implement creative and collaborative solutions that have a positive impact on the health of Arizonans.
At the end of the day, it’s important to look at health insurance through a public health lens, identifying ways to not only foster wellness but also ensure access to affordable, convenient, and personalized health care.
Dr. Cara Christ is the medical director of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona. She previously served as the director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, leading the state’s response to COVID-19 during the largest public health initiative in the nation’s history. Share your thoughts on [email protected].