Corporate Wellness Programs in a Down Economy

Corporate Wellness Programs and Medical Care Costs

Corporate Wellness Programs are more important now than ever.  A recent article in the Wall Street Journal, with the troubles in the economy it seems that the costs of organization offered medical care keep continuing to grow and it doesn’t seem like it is going to change.  The article notes that during the year 2008, U.S. corporations can expect to see an increase of 10% in medical care costs.

This increase in medical care costs is causing some small corporations 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 corporations.  The corporations can offer discounted co-pays and deductibles to those employees that fully participate in the provided 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 employees, the reduce the overall medical care costs for the corporation.  Just one lengthy hospital stay can almost deplete a small business’ medical care budget.

Corporate Wellness Programs and Your Bottom Line

Corporate Wellness Programs offer many advantages to a company’s bottom-line. Corporate Health Promotion Plan Statistics from Prudential Insurance show a benefit expense of $312 per individual enrolled in a Corporate Health Promotion Plan 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 medical care costs overall.