Nearly 130 million people live with at least one chronic condition in the U.S. Mental health cases are pervasive across all generations, and as the workforce ages, the need for proper preventative health care is most dire—especially for marginalized individuals who are disproportionately affected by health outcomes.
In a session at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit in Laguna Niguel, Calif., exploring how to bridge the health care gap, Vanessa Broadhurst, executive vice president of global corporate affairs and executive committee member of Johnson & Johnson, said prioritizing health equity should be seen as an essential business interest for executives.
“We should all care about health equity because that is one more person who is going to have a challenge to care for their family. Being employed, they are going to need additional assistance, and that is a tax on the entire ecosystem that we live in,” she says. “Health care and equitable health care [are] important.”
Stephani Long, chief talent officer at Deloitte U.S., said bridging the health care gap can start in workplaces with inclusive benefits, like paying for long commutes to receive necessary care when people need to see specialists who live out of their region or are put on extensive waitlists.
“I think that can help with the age bias problems we have going on,” Long said. “Lots of people struggle to get to the doctor, but certainly elderly people do.”
However, far too often, employees don’t know what their employers offer and seldom seek out benefits before a health issue arises, the panelists agreed, including Megan O’Reilly, vice president of health and family government affairs at AARP, and Karen Hale, chief legal officer at pharmaceutical company Novartis.
“It’s not just about having the long list of benefits,” Long said. “It’s really hard to get people to pay attention when it’s not the need time or the crisis time.”
It takes intentional education from the top about what companies offer, as needs depend heavily on whether or not someone is in the sandwich generation—caring for both aging parents and children simultaneously—or in need of fertility benefits for family planning.
Beyond education, Broadhurst said leaders must foster a culture that supports taking care of your health before you get sick—which means encouraging the use of available health care to make behavioral change that counter the risk of chronic conditions more common with advanced age.