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CCH® BENEFITS — 03/10/11

Worksite Wellness Programs Slowed Health Care Cost Growth

from Spencer’s Benefits Reports: Health care costs rose at a 15% slower rate among wellness program participants than among a comparison group when employers consistently offered a wellness program to their employees, according to a Highmark, Inc., study published in the March/April edition of the American Journal of Health Promotion. The four-year study of select Highmark employer group wellness programs showed that the savings per participant was $332, indicating that substantial savings may result for group customers once a worksite wellness program is established.

“This study is significant because it shows that implementing a worksite wellness program at a company can help control overall health care costs,” said Donald R. Fischer, Highmark chief medical officer. “Having hard data from this study proves what we’ve been telling our group customers all along–keeping employees healthy is not just good for the business, it’s also good for the bottom line.”

The study evaluated the impact of worksite wellness programs on health care costs and utilization over time by matching approximately 10,000 wellness program participants at 47 Highmark employer groups with a risk-matched comparison group. At a minimum, the employer groups offered Highmark Web-based wellness programs to their employees consistently for three or more years, which also indicates that even small interventions, like online programs, can help have an impact on health care costs for participants.

The study also found that wellness program participants developed a greater tendency than their comparison group counterparts to pursue preventive services such as preventive physicals, mammograms and cancer screenings, possibly as a result of self-care knowledge obtained from their worksite wellness programs. Preventive care measures often cost employers more in the short term, but can help to save longer-term health care costs, Highmark noted.

“The cost of health care is arguably the most talked about subject in America right now. While the recent health care reform legislation took a step to create access for Americans, it does not address cost,” said Mr. Fischer. “It’s incumbent on everyone in the health care system–the insurers, employers and members–to address costs. This study is a shining example of what can be done if we all work together.”

Pittsburgh-based Highmark Inc. is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans. Highmark serves 4.7 million members in Pennsylvania and West Virginia through the company’s health care benefits business.

For more information on this and related topics, consult the CCH Pension Plan Guide, CCH Employee Benefits Management, and Spencer's Benefits Reports.

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