Employers See Well-Designed Worksite Health and Wellness Programs as Strong Value in Do...(n their own health are valuable assets ...),Health

Date:7/28/2009

n their own health are valuable assets," said Katherine H. Capps, president of Health2 Resources. "We are not talking about $5 here or there. We are talking about serious investment into productivity, made by employers with as few as 200 employees, for as much as $1,400 a year per employee. Employers are taking control of health care costs by creating smart, effective new strategies to keep employees healthy, and to keep employees at work."

Among the key findings:

* Perks matter. The value of incentives is up, averaging $329 in 2009 and ranging from $1 per pound for weight loss to annual premium reductions valued at more than $1,500. The most commonly used incentive is premium reductions, followed by merchandise/tokens and gift cards.

* Employers offer cash, gift cards to spouses and family to keep them healthy. More than half of the companies surveyed offer health and wellness or disease management programs to spouses and a third extend the programs to other family members.

* Confidential health history/questionnaire is an important starting point for worksite wellness and disease management. Two out of three employers--large, mid- size and small--offer a health risk assessment to employees, and nearly three out of four of those offer incentives to take it. Incentives to take the questionnaire range up to $300 annually, with about 10 to 15 percent exceeding $300.

* Smoking cessation programs are the most popular health and wellness program offered. More than half of employers surveyed (53 percent) offer smoking cessation to employees, but weight management and physical activity programs are not far behind.

* Diabetes programs are the most popular disease management program offered. Among those employers that offer disease management programs, 92 percent offer diabetes programs, making them the most common disease management program offered in 2009.

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SOURCE Health2 Resources Copyright©2009 PR Newswire. All rights reserved

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