Posted by Company Wellness | Posted in Company Wellness | Posted on 19-10-2008
Organizations are no longer able to trim extra savings out of their health insurance programs, and the majority of organizations have been cost shifting, asking employees to cover more of their medical care costs. Health insurance costs continue to climb (10 percent or more per year) at 2-3 times the general inflation rate. With nowhere else to turn, companies are – more than ever – looking to get employees engaged in Corporate Health Promotion Programs as a means of slowing medical care costs and improving productivity.
For example, last year 53 percent of large companies provided Health Risk Assessments / Health Risk Appraisals for their staff, up from 35 percent just two years earlier, according to a Mercer survey. Change is being driven by cost, but Corporate Health Promotion Programs a win-win solution for both companies and employees.
Here are other Company Wellness Program trends organizations are implementing:
More organizations are integrating Corporate Health Promotion Programs into their benefits plans. If they want the best plans or the lowest individual costs, they need to participate in the Company Wellness Program and meeting minimum goals.
More organizations are offering workplace weight loss programs as part of the Corporate Health Promotion Program, especially after Duke University’s new research showing the high cost of overweight employees and increased cost for worker’s compensation for sedentary and overweight employees.
Organizations are offering more Corporate Health Promotion Programs designed to assist employees with chronic health conditions: health coaches, nurse advice lines, telephone counseling, and self-study guides
Organizations are offering more online Company Wellness Program interventions and health information resources
More organizations are offering regular workplace employee health screenings including cholesterol, glucose, A1c, blood pressure, weigh-ins, and other checks as a component of their Corporate Health Promotion Program. Some Corporate Health Promotion Programs even include bone-density checks and skin cancer screenings.
Many organizations are offering fitness programs, either in the community or workplace, as a component of their Corporate Health Promotion Program.
Corporations are offering more prizes, rewards, and incentives getting engaged in Company Wellness Program activities
Some organizations are adding emphasis to maintaining health. It’s one thing to lose weight or stop tobacco; it’s another to maintain these changes. Helping employees stay engaged and maintain their health changes is important for long-term success.
Organizations are putting more emphasis on keeping healthy people healthy rather than just working primarily with high-risk individuals. Research shows this approach results in a greater Company Wellness Program ROI.
Wellness organizations are offering great resources for organizations’ employees over the Internet – online wellness centers, monthly health and wellness newsetters, wellness challenges, online points tracking systems, virtual fitness programs, online wellness coaching or interventions, interactive health calculators, healthy recipes, even downloadable health tips for your iPod.
Organizations who are becoming more proactive are making a big impact on their future medical care expenses and productivity. Ohio State University announced that they expect to save $30 million dollars with their complete Company Wellness Program over the next 5 years!
Corporate Health Promotion Programs and prevention are sound ideas whose time has come. Health Promotion is more fun and less expensive than treating disease.
References: TIME in partnership with CNN, “Businesses Help Workers Lose Weight.” Website accessed July 2007.