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The Business of Health Care Report
Today, I will explore the advantages of company-sponsored wellness programs. Employers across the nation face escalating health care costs. When looking at national trends on the increasing prevalence of obesity, diabetes and other chronic health conditions, the costs of employee health benefits will continue to negatively impact bottom lines everywhere. One proactive measure business owners can implement to contain employee benefit costs is to offer wellness programs for employees and their families. Research shows that less than 10 percent of employees incur 80 percent of the medical claims over $10,000 and that 60 percent of those health issues may be preventable. Programs designed to help employees modify behavior related to health issues have the potential to rein in some of these expenses. According to the American Journal of Health Promotions, for every $1 spent on wellness programs, employers can expect a return of $2.30 to $10.10 through lower medical claims, reduced absenteeism and improved productivity. One expert said that wellness programs may be one of the few employee benefits that pays money back to an organization. Even if an employer provides top-notch educational programs, fitness facilities and free health screenings, motivation is key and incentivizing participation in the wellness program maximizes the return on investment. Incentives can be anything from free movie tickets to paid time off to coffee mugs bearing the company logo. This is an up-front expense for employers, but corporate wellness experts agree that rewarding employees for healthy behavior can be the critical factor. Employee wellness programs are not the cure-all for what ills the health of the nation’s workforce. But, by investing in a healthy workforce, employers can make a positive contribution to both their workers and the community at large. For Texas Health Resources
and its family of hospitals - Harris Methodist Hospitals, Presbyterian
Healthcare System and Arlington Memorial Hospital - I'm CEO
Doug Hawthorne
with "The Business of Health Care Report" on NewsRadio 1080 KRLD.
©
2004 Texas Health Resources |
I'm Doug Hawthorne, President and CEO of Texas Health Resources, with
"The Business of Health Care Report" on 