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Over 60% of all Health Care Claims are Related to Lifestyle Choices
By Linda Willis
Are you aware of any employer who is not
concerned about rising health care
premiums and claims costs? It is at times like this that we tend to "listen
louder" to
professionals in the field of worksite health promotion who know the value and
cost-effectiveness of a healthy lifestyle for the past 25 years.
Research has now demonstrated that:
· High risk persons are most often high cost
· Low risk persons are low cost
· Absenteeism, including short-term and long-term disability and workers compensation, show the same relationships with risk as medical costs
· Changes in cost follow changes in risk
· Multiple risk combinations are the most dangerous
· Low risk maintenance is an vital program strategy
· It is well recognized that healthier employees have lower medical costs, higher productivity and lower absenteeism
When health insurance was initiated 50 years ago, we did not know that the majority of our health problems were directly related to tobacco use, poor diet, overweight, and inactivity.
Asante’s Health Promotion Services‘ common sense approach to worksite health promotion is based on the premise that each individual is responsible for his or her health. The employer is responsible for creating a worksite culture that supports healthy lifestyle choices. This partnership is the winning combination that will help us reduce health care expenditures.
Certainly educational workshops, health fairs, smoking cessation, weight management, stress management, and activity-oriented events are all part of a successful program. These activities alone, without changes in the worksite culture and a direct link to the health benefit plan, will have modest effects.
In the past few years it has been recognized that health promotion programs that are placed within an integrated health management framework connected to the benefit plan and business goals, are most likely to succeed in controlling costs. There is a growing body of literature that supports the success of these programs in contributing to the organization’s financial health and vitality.
Just exactly what does a Worksite Health Promotion Program look like?
· Most programs offer employees a Health Risk Analysis that includes a questionnaire, height/weight/blood pressure and a cholesterol and glucose analysis. The employee receives a comprehensive confidential report of his or her health status.
· The employer receives an Executive summary that provides a detailed analysis of health risks for the company and what the financial impact would be if a number of risk factors were reduced.
· Educating employees to be wise consumers of health care services, and to practice good medical self-care, and providing incentives for those who live a healthy lifestyle are all key components.
How will you reduce your health care costs?
Once employees know their health status and the employer has a picture of the organization as a whole, a strategy can be developed to partner with employees in an effort to improve health and well-being and consequently reduce demand for health care. The long-term solution is a focus on reducing the need. This can best be accomplished by reinforcing self-responsibility and the need for a partnership between employees and the employer.
Certainly educational workshops, health fairs, smoking cessation, weight management, stress management, and activity oriented events are all part of a successful program. These activities without changes in the worksite culture and a direct link to the health benefit plan will have modest effects.
The employer who is willing to make necessary cultural changes is the one most likely to impact the bottom line. Seemingly unimportant decisions at the worksite either reinforce unhealthy behavior or encourage healthy decision-making. It is as simple as donuts and muffins or bagels and fresh fruit. It is the difference between a steak or hamburger barbeque or chicken fajitas with rice and beans. We can continue to serve cake at celebrations or we can decide that frozen yogurt and strawberries would be just as well received. These decisions demonstrate a real cultural change in the organization.
You may have a smoking policy in place; however, it might be time to create a smoke-free workplace. Research has shown that such a policy will encourage a number of employees to finally quit. An employee who smokes can experience up to 50% more health care claims than a non-smoker, especially if they are over 45 years of age. Those individuals who do not smoke should be paying a lesser portion of the employee contribution than the employee who does use tobacco.
Back injuries are usually the number one worker’s compensation claim. Workshops on proper lifting are often offered and there is seldom a reduction in injuries. Over 90% of employees know how to lift properly. What is not addressed is the fact that over 55% of Americans are overweight and more than that are physically inactive. This combination is the reason that 80% of us will eventually suffer a back injury. We must decide to hack away at the root of our problems if we hope to change the tide of rising health care costs.
Is it possible to fully accomplish our business goals and objectives in the presence of illness and preventable injuries? When we make the health of our employees one of the guiding values of the organization, we are in a position to not only slow the increasing costs, but actually reduce them and enjoy greater productivity, reduced absenteeism, and reduced workers compensation claims.
When a company is committed enough to improve the food served at functions, tighten the smoking policy, and offer a behavior-based health benefit package, then real reductions in costs can begin to happen. The automobile and homeowners insurance model may not be perfect, but they are behavior-based. This is the direction we must go in order to significantly impact health-care costs today. All individuals should have the opportunity to choose and each should participate in the health benefit plan based upon those choices.
For more information, contact Asante Health Promotion Services at (541) 608-4782 or (541) 955-5424.