“Leading by Example” is a series from U.S. Business Action to End HIV highlighting inspiring business leaders who are accelerating progress toward an end to the HIV epidemic in the U.S.
This month, we are pleased to spotlight Tracy Watts, Senior Partner, US Leader for Healthcare Policy at Mercer.
I am a Senior Partner at Mercer and have been with the firm for over 35 years, primarily advising large employers on their health benefit strategies for active and retired employees. In my role as the US Leader for Healthcare Policy at Mercer, I represent employer interests to policymakers in Washington DC and have testified before Congress on several occasions. I’ve served as Board Chair of the American Benefits Council and am currently on the executive steering committee of The Alliance to Fight for HealthCare. In my work with the Health Action Alliance (HAA), I lead Mercer’s involvement with U.S. Business Action to End HIV and the National Commission on Climate and Workforce Health.
Thanks to scientific advancements and modern medicine, not only can we treat HIV, we can also prevent it. Education is badly needed on this topic, starting with the importance of testing. It’s disturbing, but maybe not surprising, that the demographic with the highest new test positive rate for HIV is age 25-34 – people in that age group were not even born when the epidemic hit in the late 80s and may not have the same awareness as those of us who witnessed the worst of it. Businesses can truly make a difference because, as surveys have shown, workers trust their employers when it comes to their health. Employers can be important advocates for HIV testing and prevention. Right now only 1 in 5 primary care physicians have prescribed HIV preventive care (PrEP) – that’s got to change. I started my career at Mercer at the beginning of the AIDS epidemic and I’m excited about this opportunity to harness the power of business to finally bring the curtain down on HIV.
We’ve put HIV on our own agenda and now we’re helping to get it onto the agenda for the businesses we work with. Most people know very little about HIV. We’ve seen how, by bringing this topic into strategic planning conversations with clients, we can begin a cycle of education that results in positive change.
Just do it. From a cost perspective, preventive care is always less expensive than treatment. HIV is not like other chronic diseases – it spreads between people, unlike diabetes or high blood pressure – and it is possible to manage so that it is undetectable and untransmittable. This is how we get to the end of HIV – as one by one, people take steps to protect themselves and others. Businesses accelerate the process every time they help someone who likely feels stigmatized and may not know where to go for care. If access to care is challenging, the good news is that virtual options exist – for testing, prescribing, ongoing lab work and counseling. In addition, U.S. Business Action to End HIV offers free tools and resources for employers. On May 21, there is a workshop for employers who are interested in learning more about National HIV Testing Day on June 27. It is an easy way to promote HIV education and testing at work when social media and news outlets will be covering and promoting as well.
Don't assume anything. Many people know very little about HIV, and that can include benefit professionals. We start discussions with education and by looking at the employer’s own pharmacy data and demographic information. We look at network adequacy. If access to providers that prescribe PrEP is limited and there is a possible health equity issue, that can be a call to action for some employers.
As a leader in our field, we think it is important to lean in on big opportunities to have a positive impact in our market and the larger community – and ending HIV is a clear and achievable opportunity that benefits everyone.
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