Worksite Wellness Makes "Cents"

The economic burden of unhealthy lifestyles is colossal.

• The average annual healthcare cost for a person with diabetes is $13,243 as apposed to $2560 for a person without diabetes.1
• The average annual healthcare costs for a person with high blood pressure (hypertension) costs $392. On-the-job productivity losses accounted for 63% of this total.1
• Over $83.1 billion is spent on depression, 56% of this is for workplace costs.1
• Obesity accounts for 14% of lifestyle-related costs for men and 25% for women.2
• Smokers incur 18.1 percent higher medical costs than non-smokers.3

In Michigan alone, we spend:

• $13.7 billion for cardiovascular disease
• $8.9 billion for physical inactivity
• $6.75 billion for smoking
• $2.9 billion for obesity4

The good news is, the cost benefit of worksite wellness programs have been well documented over the past two decades. Forty-two published worksite health promotion studies show, on average5:

• 30% reduction in workers' compensation and disability management claims costs health costs
• 28% reduction in sick leave absenteeism
• 26% reduction in health costs
• $5.93-to-$1 savings-to-cost ratio

The workplace is an ideal setting to address health issues and promote healthy lifestyles.
Worksite Wellness programs help you build a culture of wellness resulting in:

• Less absenteeism
• Higher morale, lower stress
• Higher productivity, and engaged workforce
• Less likelihood that low-risk employee health problems will become high-risk, get more facts...
• Reduced health care costs
• Better health and wellness – for you and your employees – for life!

Building awareness alone can save you money!
The more knowledgeable your employees are about their health and health risks, the more engaged they will become in managing it. This means increased productivity, decreased absenteeism, and reduced health care costs for you. We know:

• About 1/3 of adults have high blood pressure and nearly 1/3 of these people don't know it.
• About 48% of adults have borderline high cholesterol, 17% have high cholesterol, many people don't know their numbers.
• Diabetes affects over 21 million Americans (7% of the population), 30% of these people are undiagnosed. Diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death.

Uncontrolled chronic conditions like these have a direct impact on healthcare costs, absenteeism, and producteeism. In fact, chronic conditions are responsible for seven out of 10 deaths and 75% of all health care costs.1 Health screenings alone can save you money.

1 "A Purchaser's Guide to Clinical Preventive Services: Moving Science into Coverage." National business Group on Health, pg. 217, 220, 323, 327, 328, 373, 375
2 Study Tallies High medical Claims Costs of Obesity, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, March 2006, http://www.newswise.com/p/articles/view/518830/
3 "The Changeable Costs of Health Care," The Star Tribune, http://www.startribune.com/business/19513514.html, (Source: Mayo Clinic Health Solutions; Ceridian; and BlueCross BlueShield of Minnesota)
4 Michigah Steps Up, Michigan Department of Coummunity Health, "Healthy People, Healthy Businesses," http://www.michigan.gov/documents/MDCH-HealthyPeopleBusinesses_145390_7.pdf
5 "Leading by Example," Partnership for Prevention™

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