Building Better Benefits: How Physical Therapy and Chiropractic Care Support Better Health and Lower Costs for Union Workers

You wake up one morning with a twinge in your back, a hitch in your step, or a new tension in your neck. But the day must go on. You have work to do, and – until it becomes a real pain – there’s no time or money to start making the rounds to your primary care provider, a physical therapist, a chiropractor, and back again.  

Sound like a familiar story? Musculoskeletal diseases affect more than half of adults 18 and over in the United States, and nearly three out of four age 65 and over, making them one of the most widespread health problems for American workers. They’re a top driver for insurance claims, disability, and early retirement. And they can cause life-long difficulty if left untreated, especially for union workers and the Taft-Hartley funds that serve them.

Union workers face unique musculoskeletal challenges…

Union work can span vastly different industries with different musculoskeletal needs, from Teamsters who spend long hours in their vehicles, to teachers who may need to meet their students at eye-level, to flight attendants lifting heavy bags into the overhead compartment. When musculoskeletal discomfort is left untreated, its root cause can become more severe.  

For members, that means higher-cost surgeries down the road, time away from work for appointments and procedures, and sometimes even long-term disability claims that can make it harder to keep their families afloat. Long wait times driven by provider shortages or lack of care in rural areas can push members to seek care in emergency rooms or urgent care centers, be pressured into inappropriate imaging, and get referrals for procedures at high-cost, low-quality facilities that may result in duplicative care later. 

…And so do their funds.

For Taft-Hartley funds, that means unpredictable claims, higher healthcare spend, and lower member satisfaction with benefits. Poor quality procedures mean higher per-member-per-month costs, especially if members need repetitive surgeries. And none of this is conducive to keeping a fund sustainable in the long run. 

However, unlike many other costly conditions, funds have an easy solution when it comes to musculoskeletal needs: Giving workers easy access to the right benefits so getting physical therapy and chiropractic care is convenient, affordable, and efficient.

Musculoskeletal discomfort is a big cost driver – but among the most manageable.

Imagine that when you felt that twinge or that tension, you didn’t have to spend the next six months coordinating appointment after appointment, paying out of pocket fees just to get your questions answered, and hoping that your discomfort won’t grow into something worse in the meantime. Imagine care is as easy as making an appointment at a time that actually works for you, going to a wellness center in your community, and getting to the root of your problem so you can go back to regular life. 

Funds can make this a reality, getting ahead of musculoskeletal problems and their complications, by adding physical therapy and chiropractic care to wellness centers in the communities where their members live and work.  

What physical therapy and chiropractic mean for members.

When a fund puts dedicated physical therapists, chiropractors, or other musculoskeletal providers at fund-backed wellness centers, workers and their families can get care right away, without the long waits that are all too frequent in the community. They get personalized appointments with providers who are familiar with their line of work, invested in their wellbeing, and professionally certified to offer support. They can avoid exorbitant out-of-pocket costs. And they can address injuries and improve mobility and function that will help them be healthier and happier for longer. 

As a result, members don’t just get care – they feel cared for. This boosts trust in their benefits and reassures them that the leaders at their funds are working hard to solve the problems they deal with day-to-day.

What physical therapy and chiropractic mean for funds.

Cost

Physical therapist intervention can save on downstream health costs significantly, with averages of over $4,000 saved per episode of care for low back pain and over $10,000 for knee and elbow problems. At Premise, we see this effect compounded even more – members required 36% fewer visits with Premise physical therapists and chiropractors than they did in the community to get back to full function, saving their organizations even more. 

This doesn’t just save money in the short term but also helps funds reduce and predict long-term spending when it comes to chronic pain management. And because Taft-Hartley funds rely on providing high-quality benefits at a lower cost so they can offer more to their people, this gives leaders the ability to expand their benefits package and boost member satisfaction too.

Access

When funds and participating unions can prioritize direct access to musculoskeletal services like physical therapy and chiropractic, they can proactively address pain before members seek unnecessary emergency care, specialist visits, or costly surgeries. Not only is the care in members’ neighborhoods, but direct access also means that members can see a physical therapist without a referral from their primary care provider, meaning no delays in care.  

Better health

Physical therapists and chiropractors provide therapies and rehabilitation services that complement primary care and occupational health and improve health outcomes by reducing pain without being invasive.  

For Taft-Hartley funds, healthier members mean reduced disability and early retirement claims, improved member satisfaction and retention, and proof that their benefit packages are more competitive than other organizations. 

Musculoskeletal care is a strategic lever for more robust benefits.

When labor organizations invest in musculoskeletal care for their people, it goes beyond incredible savings. The addition of physical therapy and chiropractic to a fund’s healthcare strategy can improve overall quality of life for union workers and their families, preventing serious health problems down the line. 

The key? Providing easily accessible, cost-effective physical therapy and chiropractic care so it’s easy for them to get appointments and ongoing support from the experts. 

At Premise, we take it even further, by complementing the power of musculoskeletal services with our advanced primary care model so that members can be confident their minds and bodies will be taken care of for years to come.  

Want to learn more about opportunities to plug physical therapy and chiropractic into your membership? Contact us today to learn more.