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Corporate Wellness Programs
Well
worth a second look
The
Associated Press, citing a national survey of 4,200 employers, recently
reported an estimated cost increase of 9 percent for health benefits in 1999,
the biggest jump in seven years. As a
result, more and more employers are expected to discontinue coverage for
retirees and reduce benefits for some active workers.
In light of
this cost increase employers, insurance companies and health care providers
might do well to look again at investing more in the “front end”: prevention
through so-called Corporate Wellness Programs.
A 1993 study
by the Health Care Financing Administration citing national health expenditures
showed that the Federal Government and Business and Insurance foot most of the
bill for those choosing unhealthy lifestyles (34% and 36%, respectively).
Insured customer costs trailed far behind in comparison (18%).
Nudging
employees toward wellness
Of course,
knowledge of risk factors through screenings and education doesn’t mean the
employee will necessarily act on the knowledge. That’s when the concept of leverage becomes important.
At
state-owned power utility Santee Cooper, employees can be required to correct their health problems while on the job if the
problems might jeopardize the safety of fellow workers.
In other
settings, a truck driver with high blood pressure who is found to be
non-compliant in taking his or her medication can be forbidden to drive, lest he or she have a stroke or heart attack at
the wheel. A seriously overweight policeman or fireman can be required to lose weight or face
dismissal.
A better
solution for the general business community might be “leading by example”
through a top-down commitment to a program similar to one at Trident Technical
College.
The
college’s relatively new Wellness Program, which began by example at the
institution’s highest levels of the college, is already deemed successful
because of the degree of ongoing and enthusiastic employee participation.
Features of the wellness program include regular health screenings; a produce
co-op in which fruits and vegetables are sold at discount prices; and seminars
on smoking cessation and other personal health matters.
There are
already at least two wellness/prevention programs available to employers in
Charleston: the Work ‘n Well program of CareAlliance and Worksite Partners, and
the Business Health Development program, available to employers in the
tri-county region through the Trident Health System business health development
office.
Other
companies that set up programs can be found at
ww.corpwellness.com/about.html/
John Kernell is president of the Lowcountry Stroke
Association, Inc., a chapter of the National Stroke Association, and a member
of the Leadership Council of Community Health Partners.
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