1. Do employers have the right to screen employees or potential employees to learn if they are smokers, have chronic disease, or are overweight before they decide to hire them or use that information to terminate them? Why?
2. You say you want to believe that employers do not discriminate when it comes to medical history or weight, do you think that it happens?
3. On average, what percent of an employee's premium cost does the employer pay?
4. Many health care manufacturers will hire models to represent their company at trade shows. They want to project a specific image of health. We see many companies that want to project an image and they selectively screen candidates and employees. Look at companies like Hooters! Would you go to a nutritionist that was obese? Would you hire a personal trainer that appeared very weak? Is this discrimination?
5. What effects will changing population demographics have on health care costs and services?
6. Yes, the baby boomers aging has a big impact, and there will be an even bigger impact when GEN Y goes into retirement. Now lets think about it from a geographic perspective. Suppose you live in a small town. Someone comes in and builds condos - and now there are 200 condos ready for sale. These condos have two or three bedrooms each. How will that change the health care needs of the community? What if the condos were one bedrooms? What if they were for seniors? What if they were low income housing?
7. What impact are chronic conditions having on health care costs? How are wellness programs impacting health care costs?
8. Does anyone know what percentage of total health car costs are due to chronic diseases?
9. There are the elderly, baby booms, Gen X and Gen Y. Can anyone define these generations and how you would market differently to them?
10. What age group do you think uses coupons most?
11. Gen X and Y do have some differences. What are some of the differences in their purchasing habits?
12. There seems to be more of an awareness for complementary or alternative medicine (CAM) options in health care. For example, my primary care physician sometimes prescribes massage therapy for patients who have chronic neck pain. The patients respond well to the therapy. I believe physicians like seeing their patients at least try to take an active role in their health. Ironically, health care is already heading in that direction. Does anyone in class use alternative therapy?
13. We all use some type of alternative therapy at one time or another. What are alternative therapies that are commonly used in acute care hospitals or nursing homes?
14. Transparency has become a huge issue today. This chapter offers some insight through various websites, of state transparency as well as through CMS. In addition, third parties also offer transparency. Why do doctors feel that third parties should not? What third party do you trust most and why?
15. Marketing is the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods, and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational objectives. Within the center of marketing is the consumer. The consumer can be a patient, a physician, or an organization. The key ingredient to marketing is obtaining consumer satisfaction, this also happens to be the key issue in health care today. What are some ways health care organizations are trying to understand and satisfy the consumer?
16. Another example of a company remarketing their product is Scotch Duct Tape. For years, the manufacturer marketed their shiny silver product to men. It is a durable, quality tape. How is it marketed today, and to whom?
17. The strategy for M&Ms years ago was that the candy "melts in your mouth, not in your hands". They were really marketing to parents of young children, so the parent would know they did not have to run after the child and wipe their hands after giving them some M&M's. Today the marketing strategy is different. What does the advertisements for M&M's look like today, and who are they marketing to now? In general, what are the characteristics of the consumer that candy makers target?