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Health insurance premiums are rising 7% a year. A measurable, customizable Corporate Wellness Program can help your company reduce health care costs, improve employee health and productivity, and benefit your bottom line.
Last year, the number of companies that offer wellness programs nearly doubled, totaling 70 percent of all U.S. companies. Why the rapid growth?
- Wellness programs are a savvy way to reduce health care costs, with an excellent return investment (ROI). In fact, done correctly, they more than pay for themselves.
- The most exciting findings come from the analysis performed by the American Journal of Health Promotion, which shows that for every dollar an employer spends on wellness programs, the company saves an average of $5.81.1
- Further, the most recent 2013 study shows wellness programs can reduce medical costs by more than 18% per worker, 2 while employee sick day costs drop by $2.73 for every dollar spent! 3
It’s no wonder that business leaders are making wellness programs a top priority. Think about it– lower healthcare costs; happier, healthier employees; less absenteeism; reimbursements from health brokers – why wouldn’t you have a company wellness program? We know why: it’s because companies want to see the ROI in real numbers and actual statistics on employee success stories. Previously, most wellness programs couldn’t produce that kind of data.
We’re not talking about simply subsidizing your employees’ membership to a big-box gym or hosting a weight-loss contest once a year; you will not realize your goals that way.
Why not?
Those facilities can’t tailor their programs; instead, they are generally one-size-fits-all. What’s more, big-box gyms don’t provide the reports you need to demonstrate your wellness program’s results and sustainability.
Check out what you should be looking for in a comprehensive wellness solution:
1. Tailored to your company’s wellness goals, employee needs and corporate culture
2. Convenient for employees, supportive and motivating, and easy to get started
3. Designed with built-in reporting — comprehensive ROI data, employee adherence numbers, needs assessments, health improvement measurements and more
4. Individual profiling data for each employee, as well as aggregated data across your employee population
5. Transparent to health insurance providers and brokers. Quarterly/annual data so you receive the company incentives, reduced premiums and reimbursements you deserve, based on improved employee health.
6. Scalable; can support companies of all sizes, experience and health goals
7. Mobile! A toolkit of innovative mobile apps that keep employees engaged and continually apprised of their health progress.
8. These solutions should also provide support for employees’ individual workout goals when they are on the road.
What are you waiting for? The CDC says health insurance premiums are projected to reach $20,000 per covered employee by the year 2020! Make sure your 2013 goals include reducing health care costs/premiums, increasing the health and productivity of your employees, and attracting and retaining top workers.
EZIA Corporate Wellness Program is a comprehensive, measurable program that helps employers reduce health care costs as they support improved health, wellness and productivity for their employees.
Written by – Jason Waiton and Kelly Mest
For more information on EZIA Corporate Wellness Programs, please contact Kelly Mest (Kelly.mest@eziahp.com) or start by filling out our questionnaire.
1 The American Journal of Health Promotion’s analysis of 56 published studies on work site health programs, July 2012
2 Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, “Medical Care Savings From Workplace Wellness Programs: What Is a Realistic Savings Potential?” January 2013
3 2010 Harvard Wellness Program Meta Study Health Affairs
