Wellness Articles

Employee Health and Wellness Programs and Medical Care Costs

Employee Health and Wellness Programs are more important now than ever. According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, with the troubles in the economy it seems that the costs of business provided healthcare keep continuing to grow and it doesn’t seem like it is going to change. The article states that during the year 2008, United States corporations can expect to see an increase of 10% in healthcare costs.

This increase in healthcare costs is causing some small corporations to reduce their worker health benefits or get rid of them altogether.

Employee Health and Wellness Programs for Healthier Lifestyles

Employee Health and Wellness Programs do provide an option for small corporations. The corporations can provide discounted co-pays and deductibles to those workers that fully participate in the provided Employee Health and Wellness Program. Full participation means getting health screens, receiving a health risk assessment, and then working with their wellness coordinator to work towards a healthier lifestyle.

The healthier the workers, the lower the overall healthcare costs for the corporation. Just one lengthy hospital stay can almost deplete a small business’ healthcare budget.

Employee Health and Wellness Programs and Your Bottom Line

Employee Health and Wellness Programs provide many advantages to a company’s bottom-line. Employee Health and Wellness Program Statistics from Prudential Insurance show a benefit expense of $312 per person enrolled in a Employee Health and Wellness Program compared to an expense of $574 per worker that wasn’t enrolled. Coors Brewing Company showed a positive side-effect of participant absenteeism dropping by 18%, thus greater production and less healthcare costs overall.