Employee Wellness Initiatives in a Depressed Economy

Employee Wellness Initiatives and Healthcare Costs

Employee Wellness Initiatives are more important now than ever.  According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, with the troubles in the economy it seems that the costs of business provided healthcare keep continuing to grow and it doesn’t seem like it is going to change.  The article states that during the year 2008, United States companies can expect to see an increase of 10% in healthcare costs.

This increase in healthcare costs is causing some small companies to reduce their employee health benefits or get rid of them altogether.

Employee Wellness Initiatives for Healthier Lifestyles

Employee Wellness Initiatives do offer an option for small companies.  The corporations can offer discounted co-pays and deductibles to those employees that fully participate in the offered Employee Wellness Program.  Full participation means getting health screens, receiving a health risk assessment, and then working with their wellness coordinator to work towards a healthier lifestyle.

The healthier the employees, the lower the overall healthcare costs for the corporation.  Just one lengthy hospital stay can almost deplete a small business’ healthcare budget.

Employee Wellness Initiatives and Your Bottom Line

Employee Wellness Initiatives offer many advantages to a company’s bottom-line. Employee Wellness Initiative Statistics from Prudential Insurance show a benefit expense of $312 per individual enrolled in a Employee Wellness Initiative compared to an expense of $574 per employee that wasn’t enrolled.  Coors Brewing Company showed a positive side-effect of member absenteeism dropping by 18%, thus greater production and less healthcare costs overall.