Today, more than 81% of American's businesses with 50 or more employee’s have some form of worksite wellness program, the most popular being exercise, stop-smoking classes, back-care programs, and stress management. Most employers offer wellness programs simply because they think the benefit is worth the cost. Yet business leaders continue to ask themselves how to control huge annual increases in health insurance premiums and health care costs.
For many companies, medical costs can consume half of corporate profits. For some companies, it's more than half. Some employers look to cost-sharing, cost-shifting, managed-care plans, risk ratings, and cash-based rebates or incentives. But these methods merely shift costs. Only worksite health promotion stands out as the long-term answer for keeping employees well in the first place, avoiding reactive medical costs.
"I lost a hundred and fifty two pounds. I have more energy than before I started the Thin&Healthy Program, and I feel GREAT!! It's like having a brand new life again." ~ Scott Thurston Worksite wellness is heath care reform that works. Results from America's finest companies summarized here, are reason enough to think about an investment in your most important assets – your employees – and the impact this investment can have on your bottom line. In one study, national assessments showed that sick leave dropped 33.4% as a direct result of a wellness program. Worker's Compensation dropped 31.7% as shown in the Browne study. In a study done by Aldana, $3.60 was returned for every dollar spent on wellness.
