Healthcare costs continue to rise, increasing employers’ expenses on their staff’s health benefits. For example, have some of the highest medical costs nationally. As a result, companies are trying to find alternative ways to ensure their employees’ health and wellness while saving on costs. Such alternative methods include funding their own company health plan.
Traditionally, employers would sign up for health insurance packages offered by big insurance companies. The growing trend of companies establishing their own health plan is a response to expensive premiums required by insurers. Wherein employers spend the most on health insurance premiums.
While establishing a self-funded health plan can help employers by eliminating hefty insurance premiums, it’s not without its own financial risks. Companies can face excessive financial burdens if their employees suffer from poor health and illnesses. This is why companies with self-funded health plans would do well to invest and implement wellness programs. In this article, we discuss what wellness programs are and give examples of some of the best initiatives that can create significant healthcare savings.
What Are Wellness Programs
Wellness programs are initiatives designed to encourage your employees to pay attention to their own health and take better care of themselves.
Some wellness programs concentrate on preventing employees from developing chronic illnesses later on in life. Such programs involve health screenings and incentives to build life-long health habits early. Other programs are more focused on helping employees manage existing illnesses, and preventing their chronic conditions from progressing into many serious complications. In the following sections, we give examples of both approaches.
Screenings And General Health Checks
Chronic diseases are by far one of the major drivers of increasing healthcare costs. for instance, suffers huge economic losses every year due to the prevalence of chronic conditions among its citizens. One of the best ways that companies can implement to help curb the impact of chronic illnesses on their staff is to conduct screenings and general health checks on an annual basis.
The data that results from screenings and regular check-ups can help employees assess their risk of developing a major condition. Risk assessment and early detection are key to helping your staff avoid chronic illness, and manage any existing diseases.
Nutrition Education
Diet and nutrition play a huge role in determining health and wellness. However, many adults are unaware of their nutritional needs and are unaware of dietary deficiencies. Creating a wellness program that encourages employees to make healthy food choices is beneficial to all staff, whether they already have an existing condition or not.
Nutrition Education programs can include seminars, online resources, and appointments with nutritionists. Larger companies also have cafeterias that offer healthy meals to employees. Smaller organizations, on the other hand, may offer healthy snacks in the break room or during group meetings.
Exercise Programs And Fitness Clubs
Another important part of keeping employees healthy is to make sure they’re getting the right amount of physical activity. For organizations with primarily office-based environments, the staff is typically sedentary for the better part of the day. Sedentary lifestyles can largely increase their risk of developing or progressing chronic illnesses.
As a countermeasure, employers can implement exercise programs that encourage staff to increase their level of activity. Regular exercise that focuses on mobility and flexibility can also help employees avoid injuries, which can often be costly to treat.
If your company is ready to save on healthcare costs while promoting wellness among staff, visit National Insurance Partners Inc. and get in touch with our team of advisers.