Worksite Wellness ProgramsWorksite Wellness Programs

It is clear to virtually every American (especially those of us in business) that medical care costs are skyrocketing out of control. No one doubts that either the market will solve the issue OR the government will impose one on us. Managed care has failed from either a cost containment or quality of care perspective. Corporations have reached the point where the expense of offering health insurance is almost as burdensome as government regulation. It’s time for some new thinking on medical care and its influence on business and vice versa. “Corporate wellness” as an operational perspective rather than merely window dressing is one way to deal effectively with rising medical care costs.

The Insurance Issue

The first step in correcting the issue is to realize that an employee’s health is their own responsibility. Expecting businesses to support unlimited health insurance coverage is simply unrealistic and unreasonable. It’s time for businesses (on a broad scale) to reconsider their role in offering health insurance coverage. Instead of offering complete coverage for all workers through group plans, businesses ought to start to shift the burden of health coverage to those covered. Here’s the approach. Offer catastrophic health insurance as a group benefit to all workers with a sizable enough deductible (say $5000 per employee) to make the expense affordable for the company. Then, allow workers to buy their own health insurance policies (based on their own needs) and pay for them through payroll deduction with pre-tax earnings. There are numerous insurance businesses that sell individual plans on this basis. Everybody wins. Workers can tailor their coverage to their own needs and circumstances using their own doctors. Corporations win by stopping the endless cycle of rising costs and ever-changing plans. And when individuals become responsible for the expense of their own insurance, they become more attentive to their own health. Besides, if an employee is interested in working for you ONLY because your company offers great insurance benefits aren’t they telling you they’re going to cost you more money in the future?

Develop a “Wellness Culture”

Our current “sickness culture” perpetuates the medical care crisis and hastens the demise of market-based solutions. By sickness culture, I mean our focus on health concerns rather than on having a healthy workplace and performance culture. So, what would a “wellness culture” look like? First, rather than paid sick days, workers might be rewarded at year’s end with an attendance bonus. Workers would be reimbursed for efficacious completion of tobacco cessation and weight-loss programs. Corporations would invest in corporate memberships at local health clubs so every employee can take part. Workers would be provided in-house wellness programs on a variety of concerns ranging from ergonomics to stress management. Finally, businesses would commit to hiring and retaining healthy workers. Simply put, healthy workers cost less and are more productive than unhealthy ones. Applicants ought to be screened for health habits and practices that limit their productivity and improve the likelihood of future expense. While this may seem harsh, it rewards those workers whose personal lifestyle and habits be sure the best Return on Investment by the company committing to hire, train and pay them. Be open to “alternative and complementary” approaches Studies published in major medical care journals reveal that individuals who use “alternative and complementary” health modalities (including chiropractic, acupuncture, yoga and massage) are generally healthier, better educated, take fewer medications and miss fewer days from work than the average American. Since these individuals look for ways to stay healthy without prescriptions and surgery, they end up being a net benefit in terms of attendance and productivity. Old prejudices in this area ought to be discarded in order for businesses to improve productivity and increase profitability

Conclusion

Medical Care costs are growing at a staggering pace. Managed care is an abysmal failure. Corporations are buckling under the pressure of offering health coverage to their workers. American competitiveness in the market is sagging. These times call for extraordinary solutions. It’s time for American businesses to consider some out-of-the-box solutions to the medical care crisis. Corporation wellness is an approach that is timely, achievable and reasonable given the alternatives. All options ought to be considered while we still have a chance.