Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Utah is adding an employee assistance program to the current benefits of all its group accounts during 1994, according to Neal A. Spero, vice president and chief marketing executive.
He said the company considers the investment a wise cost-containment strategy to further control future health-care costs. "This is part of our overall preventive effort to keep future costs down for our employer-sponsored accounts," he said."Employers who utilize an active employee assistance program can expect to see a reduction in absenteeism and turnover as well as increased morale," Spero said.
Employee assistance programs provide confidential personal counseling such as mental health and financial and supervisory training to participating employees in its employer-sponsored preventive health package.
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield program will be added to all group customers at the group's anniversary date this year. Services are provided through Vocational Resources Inc., an employee-benefits consulting company operating in Utah, Idaho and Montana.