We caught up with Commissioner Abner Mason, Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer at GroundGame.Health, to discuss the impacts of extreme weather, the role of employers during climate crises, and the importance of listening to communities to create equitable health care solutions.
I live in Los Angeles. I am seeing firsthand the impact of climate-change-driven extreme weather events. I live just outside of one of the mandatory evacuation zones. I have friends who lost their home in the Altadena fire last week. It is heartbreaking to see the loss so many have experienced. These Los Angeles fires come on the heels of hurricanes Helene and Milton, which brought devastation to the Southeast in 2024. We need to help those who have lost so much. But equally important, we need to prepare better so we reduce the impact of future extreme weather events.
I think the key challenge for 2025 and the next few years is to find common ground that allows us to discuss, formulate, and implement meaningful policies to address the impact of climate change. Given the challenges we face, small policy changes on the edges are necessary, but they will not be sufficient to meet the need. The policy changes needed will require cross-sector collaboration, and bipartisan thinking and action. That is a tall order for the times we live in. But I believe the private sector is uniquely positioned to help us find common ground on these issues.
Companies have an interest, both financial and ethical, in protecting the health and well-being of their employees. Companies have strong relationships with the nonprofit sector and the government sector, including the new administration in Washington, D.C. In this moment, we need leadership from the private sector, and that is why I am so encouraged by the work and potential of the National Commission on Climate and Workforce Health.
In addition to helping formulate common ground and bipartisan policy solutions that address the impact of climate change and extreme weather events, companies can take specific steps to reduce the impact of climate-related disasters on their workforce and support the recovery of those affected.
In a recent article, Mercer's Tracy Watts suggested 10 ways companies can support employees in an emergency. For example, companies can "work with insurance carriers to suspend typical utilization management processes to make it easier to access care, and similarly, encourage pharmacy benefit vendors to provide no-questions-asked grace refills for medications."
The most important step to take to ensure solutions will be effective is to first ask people what they need and listen to them. Everyone is different with unique life journeys that make the impact of an emergency on them and their families unique. One size does not fit all! Listening is the first step to understanding what kinds of solutions will be most helpful.
Climate Anxiety and the Kid Question by Jade S. Sasser is a great read. And for a clear and up-to-date view of the science relevant to climate change, go to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Abner Mason is the Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer for GroundGame.Health, a social impact company that manages the complex connections between health plans, members, and Community-Based Organizations to fulfill unmet social and care needs for people everywhere. Abner has spent decades working to reduce barriers to care faced by underserved people nationally and internationally, from the local to the federal level.
Sign up for our newsletter to keep updated on HAA’s latest initiatives, insights and recommendations, and be first to receive new resources and event invitations.
Sign up