Employee Health and Wellness

Employee Health Promotion Programs and Healthcare Costs

Employee Health Promotion 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 employer provided medical care 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 businesses can expect to see an increase of 10% in medical care costs.

This increase in medical care costs is causing some small businesses to reduce their employee health benefits or get rid of them altogether.

Employee Health Promotion Programs for Healthier Lifestyles

Employee Health Promotion Programs do provide an option for small businesses.  The corporations can provide discounted co-pays and deductibles to those staff members that fully participate in the provided Employee Health Promotion 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 staff members, the lower the overall medical care costs for the corporation.  Just one lengthy hospital stay can almost deplete a small business’ medical care budget.

Employee Health Promotion Programs and Your Bottom Line

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