It’s no secret that health care costs are continuing to rise. In fact, U.S. health care costs are among the highest in the world, totaling 15.3% of the gross domestic product. What’s more startling is that unhealthy behaviors and preventable disease account for roughly 75% of our health care costs each year! Over $33 billion in medical costs and $9 billion in lost productivity costs can be attributed to poor nutrition that results in heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes. Multiple studies indicate that a combination of prevention, early detection and chronic disease management is the long term solution. According to independent economic think tank Milken Institute, appropriate preventive care could reduce the number of cases of chronic disease by 40 million – and the economic impact of disease by 27%, or $1.1 trillion annually, by 2023.

Historically, our medical practices have provided reactive care–we wait until we become sick and then we’re treated. But this method leads to costly and sometimes ineffective treatments. To combat rising medical costs a commitment to proactive preventive care has the power and potential to stop chronic diseases before they become serious health and financial burdens. Currently:

• More than 1.7 million Americans die of a chronic disease each year, accounting for about 70% of U.S. deaths.
• Five chronic diseases–heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (e.g., asthma, bronchitis, emphysema) and diabetes–cause more than two-thirds of all deaths each year.
• Chronic disease is not just an issue among older adults. One-third of years lost before age 65 are due to chronic disease.
• Obesity alone now accounts for 9.1% of all medical spending–$147 billion in 2008.
• More than 125 million Americans live with chronic conditions and millions of new cases are diagnosed each year.

So why don’t we do more to avoid this dangerous epidemic? Why haven’t Americans sufficiently changed their lifestyles to reduce their risk of death or illness? Governments, employers, providers and consumers are now beginning to realize that the best strategy to control health care costs is to address the underlying factors that contribute to the population’s – or more specifically – your employees’ – health.

Employers making an investment in wellness can reap rewards. According to Aon Consulting’s 2008 Benefit and Talent Survey, employers acknowledge that improved employee health reduces disability and absenteeism, leading to increased workforce productivity. Survey respondents plan to increase their wellness initiatives and reported the following.

Aon Consulting 2008 Benefit and Talent Survey
	2008 Actual	2009 Projections
Implement disease management	60%	72%
Promote exercise/physical activity	68%	74%
Implement health risk appraisals	48%	66%

 

A few companies, like AmeriGas Propane Inc., have gone as far as to mandate prevention screenings. A Wall Street Journal article explained how Jeff Blanzy, a market sales manager for AmeriGas in Fremont, Michigan, says he would never have gotten the medical checkups if they weren’t mandatory. But after the 52-year-old went in for his exam, he learned he had fatty liver disease, and the doctor warned he was at risk of eventually losing his liver. “That scared the daylights out of me,” says Mr. Blanzy, who has since lost 78 pounds after changing his diet and starting to exercise.

While mandatory prevention screenings may not be the answer for your company, there are action steps you can take to encourage, educate and engage your employees to practice healthy behaviors.

• Invite guest speakers to host health and wellness seminars/discussions.
• Provide wellness information – post flyers on employee notice boards, provide handouts or wellness tips of the week. Try www.wellness.com for resources.
• Play health promotion videos in waiting areas.
• Host “health and wellness in the workplace” awareness days or events, or participate in national “health and wellness in the workplace” campaigns. For example, September is National Yoga Month. For upcoming events, view the 2009 National Wellness Organization Calendar.
• Host a healthy recipe exchange.
• Encourage employees to use stairs rather than elevators and to walk with coworkers at lunch.
• Arrange for intra-company games and sports teams or encourage participation in community recreational teams.
• Include workplace health and wellness activities in managers’ performance objectives and reviews.
• Encourage employees to take Health Risk Assessments (HRAs) (such as the HRAs found at www.americanheart.org, www.diabetes.org, or www.cancer.org) to take account of health- and lifestyle-related behaviors. Consider holding a drawing for a prize – the price for participation is a printed confirmation page from an online HRA.
• Make healthy changes to your own lifestyle and don’t hesitate to share positive results with employees who ask about them.

Don’t forget to checkout the wellness and disease management programs offered by your medical provider and the ADP Personal Discounts Virtual Health Fair available through My TotalSource. Investing in preventive care can improve the health of your employees and your company.