By Sarah G. McC. Moïse
Staff Writer

Although businesses realize health care costs are climbing steadily and will likely double in the next five to seven years, many still have not recognized worksite wellness as a solution.

A strong business case has been made for helping employees stay in shape and free from illness. Large and small employers are buying into the idea that individual health is tied to corporate health, in part because well employees are more present and more productive. Critically important is the fact that those who take better care of themselves save their employers big bucks on health care.

According to a study at Purdue University, for every $1 spent on wellness programs, employers can expect an average return of $3. Many insurance companies have fitness programs that provide reduced rates at fitness clubs and reach out to members at risk for such chronic conditions as heart failure, diabetes, asthma and coronary artery disease. And some carriers provide 100% reimbursement for attending approved classes in smoking cessation, nutrition, back care, cardiac disease and diabetes prevention.

Kimberly Robertson of Curves is one of many gym owners who partners with local businesses to provide incentives for a healthy work environment. “I have one insurance company that pays for their employees to come and work out as long as they do a minimum of eight workouts a month. There’s a report I can print that shows how many times each member comes a month.” If employees don’t meet the minimum, they have to pay for membership out of their own pocket.

Businesses should choose fitness centers with qualified trainers who are available for analysis and monitoring. “We do a figure analysis and a weight and measurements when they come in,” explains Robertson. “We ask if they have their doctor’s recommendations, and if they’re high risk for heart disease or have back issues, we give them information to take to their doctors.”

Curves’ fitness technicians are in the circuit with the members, so members are monitored for form and heart rate at least three times as they go around the circuit. Once a month they are reminded to do a weight and measure and are encouraged to set reasonable goals.

Mark Comb of Horne Guest Insurance Agency says that broad employee participation in a health risk appraisal program is essential to cutting costs. “During benefits enrollment, employers can require employees to receive a customized, confidential health status report prepared by a third-party vendor. The appraisals can be especially valuable when they ask, ‘If there are issues of concern uncovered in this appraisal, is it all right to have a confidential private health counselor contact you to discuss these risks?’”

The Wellness Councils of America finds that 80% to 90% of participants with three or more risk factors agree to the confidential counseling. Although the employer receives a report that identifies risks, individual worker’s results are never revealed, says Comb. Similarly, employers receive monthly reports from the counseling company that detail services provided, but not to whom. In this way, employers can pinpoint problems and implement programs such as exercise and fitness, nutrition, weight management, smoking cessation, and stress management.

One new business to the Lowcountry is bringing some radical ideas to workplace wellness. Whole Foods store team leader Paul Harty says that based on employees’ service hours, the company adds money to a personal wellness account. “After 800 hours they get $300. After a year, they get $1,200. It’s a discretionary account that they can use on anything allowable as a health care expense, including massage, vision care or chiropractic care. It works like a debit card, so they can go to the drugstore and buy prescription medication or over the counter medication, but the card won’t work for things like magazines.

“The program allows team members to make their own decisions with their health care dollars,” says Harty. “There are people who use it a lot and people who don’t, and it’s not a use it and lose it account. The nice thing is that they can use it for non-traditional health care like Reiki or acupuncture, and for preventive medicine, rather than forcing people to use it for doctor’s visits.”

“We think it’s better to get employees to take responsibility for their own wellbeing,” adds Harty. In 2003 the company spent a whole year doing four separate seminars on educating team members on benefits, so their health care training on benefits is extensive.

“We think it’s most efficient to hand them that card and when they get the doctor’s bill, they pay it. There’s a disconnect in automatic billing and co-pays. Under the new system, you have a wellness spending account and you pay out of it. Claims have to be submitted through the team member. It has a dramatic effect on people when they see that an ER is $800 and a PPO is $60,” he says.

While some wellness programs sound like a dream come true, companies are hesitant because the savings for investing in on-site wellness aren’t guaranteed, especially if programs are poorly designed, staff are unqualified and initial funding is limited. But health care costs are going to increase 12% to 14% every year, and the increase will do more harm to smaller companies. If there is a major medical problem with one employee it has a greater fiscal impact on smaller companies.

Even something as simple as giving pedometers to office workers can be the first of 10,000 recommended daily steps toward wellness. They start at around $10 and can be upgraded to fancier models with heart monitors, calorie counters and radios.

Smaller companies can do a lot to identify pre-existing community and national resources, such as group membership deals at local health clubs. Nonprofit organizations, such as the American Heart Association and American Lung Association, are often untapped resources that have materials for low-cost wellness programs, such as nutrition or smoking cessation programs. Small companies also can join together to fund special programs or hire knowledgeable personnel.

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