Corporate Wellness Programs and Health Care Costs

Corporate Wellness Programs 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 corporation offered healthcare keep continuing to grow and it doesn’t seem like it is going to change. The article states that during the year 2008, American 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 worker health benefits or get rid of them altogether.

Corporate Wellness Programs for Healthier Lifestyles

Corporate Wellness Programs do offer an option for small companies. The corporations can offer discounted co-pays and deductibles to those staff members that fully participate in the offered Corporate 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 staff members, the lower the overall healthcare costs for the corporation. Just one lengthy hospital stay can almost deplete a small business’ healthcare budget.

Corporate Wellness Programs and Your Bottom Line

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