Corporate attitudes and responses to rising health care costs.

Faced with eroding profitability from rising health care costs, corporations are beginning to aggressively implement cost containment strategies. Although few companies have coordinated long range plans in place, corporations' attempts to exert control over the health care system will affect insurers, providers, and consumers. Occupational health nurses need to be aware of how cost-containment pressures will affect the various aspects of the U.S. health care system if they want to influence the changes. Occupational health nurses have an opportunity to work with benefits personnel and others in their company to maximize employee health while helping to implement programs to contain health care costs.