More Companies See Wellness as Cure for Health Costs

[mota bhai 2,675]

NOVEMBER 22, 2013 BY BRIAN HEDGER

Keeping employees healthy and your companys health spending under control no longer is simply a matter of picking the right suite of insurance plans. Its also about helping your people prevent avoidable health problems.

A growing number of companies are expanding their corporate wellness programs, with many offering cash incentives and rewards for employees who meet weight-loss goals, quit smoking or achieve lower cholesterol levels.

Two-thirds of employers polled by the 2013 Employer Health Benefits Survey said they believe wellness programs can reduce or control healthcare costs. The annual study, conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation and nonprofit Health Research & Educational Trust, also found that most insured workers participated in some type of wellness program at work.

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So far, the long-term impact of workplace wellness programs is unclear.

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You must think in the long run they believe there is going to be a payoff, but they also do it for a whole bunch of other reasons, like employee retention. Employees want these programs, Rae told Real Business.

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Wellness programs are wide-ranging, both in scope and detail. Some companies provide mainly vaccinations or voluntary medical testing, while others offer the full gamut from health club memberships to action plans offering support services and health-based events at work.

Incentives to participate as well as penalties when employees dont are also becoming more prevalent. As carrots to encourage employees to sign up, some companies offer monetary rewards or deductibles on insurance premiums. Some even go as far as penalizing workers who opt out.

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The new healthcare reform law is also expected to expand the use of wellness programs in coming years. The Affordable Care Act will increase the current percentage of premiums or deductibles that companies can reward employees to 30 percent, from the current rate of 20 percent.

The law also includes some rules to protect employees from being treated unfairly, requiring companies to provide the equivalent benefit to any employees who either physically cannot meet the requirements or were advised not to by their doctor.

http://www.realbusiness.com/2013/11/more-companies-see-wellness-as-cure-for-health-costs/?sf19915913=1

[Peikko 1,575]

It probably can. I think its fair that people are rewarded for 'good behaviour' but I am not at all sure about being penalized for 'bad'. It's probably more successful if you keep everyone on board with a culture of encouraging mproved health rather than chastising those who have difficulty with weight, smoking or other issues.

[luckytxn 2,265]

How nice.

[lostinblue 1,989]

It probably can. I think its fair that people are rewarded for 'good behaviour' but I am not at all sure about being penalized for 'bad'. It's probably more successful if you keep everyone on board with a culture of encouraging mproved health rather than chastising those who have difficulty with weight, smoking or other issues.

So if I am fat and smoke don't blame me for my health cost to the system.now or in the future? Just don't hold me accountable.....Why should you as a smoker get a free ride. If being overweight who should pay the cost of such as heart attacks , high blood pressure .,risk of strokes. ect. Why get that free ride and not pay a cost for your lack of taking care of your body. Why ask society to pay for your lack of self control....Look at smokes...You could encourage a person to quit smoking.... but today it seems that charging $4-5/ pack today is the answer.....that is penalizing the smoker by increasing the cost ... a well established fact.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Idiocracy.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

My employer has engaged in both promoting wellness programs and penalizing employees that smoke. Carrots and sticks - it's what it has been for years now. Nothing wrong with that. If you smoke, you tend to cost more and thus you should pay more. If, on the other hand, you want to live a healthier lifestyle, the employer encourages and often even subsidizes that - and, yes, the employer also reaps the rewards in fewer missed days at work and lower health care costs. It's a win-win. What's not to like?

[Peikko 1,575]

My employer has engaged in both promoting wellness programs and penalizing employees that smoke. Carrots and sticks - it's what it has been for years now. Nothing wrong with that. If you smoke, you tend to cost more and thus you should pay more. If, on the other hand, you want to live a healthier lifestyle, the employer encourages and often even subsidizes that - and, yes, the employer also reaps the rewards in fewer missed days at work and lower health care costs. It's a win-win. What's not to like?

People who have unhealthy habits do cost more, I agree but I just don't think that a culture of vicimisation works. The dogmatic become more entrenched, the ones who find it difficult become more stressed. It's not a 'healthy' way to do things, in my opinion.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

People who have unhealthy habits do cost more, I agree but I just don't think that a culture of vicimisation works. The dogmatic become more entrenched, the ones who find it difficult become more stressed. It's not a 'healthy' way to do things, in my opinion.

There's no victimization. If you smoke or use tobacco generally, you pay several hundred dollars extra a year in health insurance premiums. That's all. This is to offset some of the additional cost that the use of tobacco burdens the health plan with. The company offers paid assistance to quit. You have a broad choice of cessation programs that the company offers totally free of charge to any employee that wants to quit tobacco. So it costs you nothing to quit. Not a dime. If despite that offer you wish to continue to use tobacco, that's certainly a choice you can make. It is a choice that will cost you several hundred dollars a year on top of whatever your smokes or chew cost. But that's not victimization. In its entirety, it amounts to encouraging people to quit tobacco - to provide an additional financial incentive to quit. Worth remembering that using tobacco is entirely voluntary. I can say this because I used to use tobacco for a couple of decades and then I chose to discontinue the use of tobacco a few years ago. It's not easy but it's certainly not impossible to make that healthier choice.