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Recent studies indicate that around 65-70% of the cost of health care services provided in the U.S. can be linked back to choices people make for themselves… choices like what they eat, whether to use tobacco products, visiting the doctor regularly for checkups, whether to exercise, and using medicines appropriately, to mention a few. This clearly suggests that a significant amount of the $9,950(1) paid in health benefits annually for a family of four could be avoided if people were better informed and would make better lifestyle choices.
With costs seeming to spiral out of control and to critical levels, we would suggest the following action steps for employers: 1) Promote awareness about health risks and encourage consumerism by providing information and educational tools related to healthcare decision making. 2) Take advantage of opportunities to promote wellness and healthier lifestyles at the work place such as better food vending choices and exercise programs. 3) Provide incentives for wellness and healthier lifestyle behavior without violating HIPAA’s privacy and nondiscrimination regulations.
Employers with self-funded health plans may wish to consider ways of integrating incentives into their plans such as wellness benefits and lifestyle credits. Over time, doing so should not only help better manage health claims costs, it should also make for a healthier workforce that is more productive with reduced absenteeism.
(1) Kaiser Family Foundation. Employer Health Benefits 2004 Annual Survey
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