Corporate Wellness Blog

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

The Insurance Issue

The first step in solving the concern is to realize that an employee’s health is their own responsibility. Expecting companies to support unlimited health insurance coverage is simply unrealistic and unreasonable. It’s time for companies (on a broad scale) to reconsider their role in offering health insurance coverage. Instead of offering complete coverage for all workers through group plans, companies ought to begin to shift the burden of health coverage to those covered.

Here’s the approach. Provide catastrophic medical insurance as a group benefit to all workers with a large enough deductible (say $5000 per employee) to make the cost affordable for the organization. Then, allow workers to buy their own medical insurance policies (based on their own needs) and pay for them through payroll deduction with pre-tax earnings. There are numerous insurance employers that sell individual plans on this basis. Everybody wins. Staff Members can tailor their coverage to their own needs and circumstances using their own doctors. Businesses win by stopping the endless cycle of rising expenditures and ever-changing plans. And when people become responsible for the cost 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 organization offers great insurance benefits aren’t they telling you they’re going to cost you more money in the future?

Create a “Wellness Culture”

Our current “sickness culture” perpetuates the healthcare crisis and hastens the demise of market-based solutions. By sickness culture, I mean our focus on health problems rather than on having a healthy workplace and performance culture.

So, what would a “wellness culture” look like? First, rather than paid sick days, employees might be rewarded at year’s end with an attendance bonus. Staff Members would be reimbursed for thriving completion of smoking cessation and weight-loss programs. Corporations would invest in corporate memberships at local health clubs so every employee can take part. Staff Members would be available in-house wellness programs on a variety of issues ranging from ergonomics to stress management. Finally, organizations would commit to hiring and retaining healthy employees. Simply put, healthy employees cost less and are more constructive 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 employees whose personal lifestyle and habits make sure the best Return on Investment by the organization committing to hire, train and pay them.

Be open to “alternative and complementary” approaches

Studies published in primary health care journals reveal that people 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 people look for ways to stay healthy without prescription drugs and surgery, they end up being a net benefit in terms of attendance and productiveness. Old prejudices in this area should be discarded in order for employers to improve productiveness and boost profitability

Conclusion

Healthcare costs are rising 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 organizations to consider some out-of-the-box solutions to the health care crisis. Company wellness is an approach that is timely, achievable and reasonable given the alternatives. All options should be considered while we still have a chance.