THE WELLNESS FORUM EMPLOYER SPONSORED
WORKPLACE WELLNESS PROGRAMS
Programs designed to lower insurance costs by improving employee health.
The cost of medical care is rising so rapidly that many employers are being forced to reduce benefits or ask employees to shoulder an ever-increasing portion of the cost of insurance in order to continue to provide a benefit plan. This situation is unlikely to change anytime soon.
Fortunately, there is another, better answer - teaching employees how to reduce their utilization of medical services. It is estimated that 85% of healthcare costs are for chronic, degenerative conditions, most of which are preventable and many of which are treatable by consuming a proper diet, getting enough exercise and reducing stress.
Using lifestyle change to reduce medical costs has been proven to be effective. Between 1997 and 2001, individuals selected by Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Minnesota were taught by Dr. John McDougall how to improve their diet and lifestyle habits. The participants experienced, as a group, a 44% annual reduction in healthcare costs, while non-participants' costs increased by 12%.
The Wellness Forum offers similar programs, designed to reduce health care costs by improving employee health. These programs are based on the work of a small but growing group of doctors who have been using diet as a means of treating disease. These physicians have proven that certain dietary protocols can not only prevent disease, but can stop the progression of and even reverse serious conditions like coronary artery disease and multiple sclerosis. They have carefully tracked their results and published numerous articles in the medical literature.
(Click here to look at cost comparisons and documentation of efficacy.)
What Makes Wellness Forum Programs Different?
Wellness Forum programs are different from those offered by other companies for several reasons:
- The program is comprehensive. Studies have shown that minor changes in diet and lifestyle, although they are steps in the right direction, do not improve health. For example, published research reports that patients following the American Heart Association's diet, which recommends moderate and incremental change, continue to experience worsening health, while those following Dr. Dean Ornish's diet, which represents major dietary improvement, experience health improvement.
- The Wellness Forum does not accept sponsorship or advertising money from manufacturers or agricultural organizations; information presented in classes is independent and based on scientific research.
- The program is outcomes-based.
- The curriculum is user friendly. The two most common comments from class participants are that the transition was easier than they thought it would be and the food tasted better than they expected.
Wellness Forum Certified Wellness Consultants complete a rigorous training process to insure that they have an excellent understanding of the science of nutrition and health; and extraordinary speaking, teaching and coaching skills. All facilitators are required to complete continuing education programs annually.
The Wellness Forum is not funded by food manufacturers, agricultural organizations or other institutions. The information presented is based on independent research and is not influenced by advertising or other forms of remuneration.
How to Reduce Costs Associated With Medical Care in Your Company
Inadvertently, company owners have created a corporate culture in which it is acceptable to consume an unhealthy diet, live a sedentary lifestyle, and let stress levels escalate. Expenses for illness are reimbursed, and increases in insurance premiums are principally the employer's problem.
On the other hand, people who take excellent care of themselves and incur fewer medical costs are not generally rewarded (aside from enjoying better health) for doing so by the employer.
It is necessary to change this culture in order for expenses to be reduced. This is a lengthy, but very worthwhile process.
The first step is to begin educating employees as to the nature and size of the problem, and let them know that it is the collective responsibility of everyone in the group to address it. This educational process must be accompanied by both specific methods and tools to which employees will have access, as well as the promise of adverse changes in both benefits and the cost structure for benefits for those who choose not to participate. The reality is that people respond more readily when there are clear financial consequences for their behavior, or rewards for making improvements.
Attendance at meetings during which the issue will be discussed should be mandatory and take place on paid company time. A program that includes all associates sends a clear message about the importance of improved health; assures that all employees have the information necessary to make positive changes; and can rapidly change the corporate culture as it pertains to health and fitness
Implementing a plan of this type requires a financial investment, and companies should be prepared to underwrite the cost. However, companies will spend significantly less money on health improvement programs than they will spend on increased health care costs if these programs are not implemented.
What if My Employees Aren't Happy About This Plan?
In our experience, most employees will be excited about it. There will be some who won't, but most of them "come around" over a period of time as they see personal benefit from the classes, start to experience health improvement, find out that healthy food tastes good, etc.
What consistently will cause employees to be increasingly unhappy is increases in their contribution to health insurance or reductions in benefits. Failure to contain costs can endanger the very existence of some plans, which can cause even more dissatisfaction. When presented with the option of benefit cuts, increased costs, or eventual elimination of the benefit package, most sensible people can be motivated to start making changes. This is why the presentation of the plan must be carefully worded and planned, in order that maximum cooperation is achieved.
Can I Expect All of My Employees to Make The Necessary Changes?
Not all participants will immediately make all of the changes recommended. However, experience has shown that many of them will, particularly if they understand the health consequences of doing or not doing, what is required; in other words, providing information that allows them to make informed decisions. For example, many people with elevated cholesterol levels are advised by their physicians to take statin drugs. They are not informed that dietary improvement will work just as quickly, nor are they informed that there are potentially serious side effects that can result from these drugs, and that using them does not reduce their risk of all-cause mortality or of dying of coronary artery disease. When presented with all of this information, many people will opt to work at lifestyle change rather than a lifetime of taking drugs.
This program involves informed consent - giving employees all of the information necessary in order to make an informed choice. Once the information has been provided, the choice of the individual is always respected.
The Long-Term View
It took many years for the current crisis in medical costs to develop and reach its current state, and it is not a problem that can be solved quickly. However, with consistent effort and investment, you can change your company's culture to one where health and wellness are important and valued. As employees learn new life skills that are reinforced at work, their health will improve and costs associated with their care will be reduced.
This cultural aspect can even positively affect the new employee selection process, where your focus on health will attract people who are health conscious and "weed out" people who are uncomfortable in such an environment.
Changing the health status of your work force requires doing those things that have allowed you to experience success in every other aspect of your business - setting goals, developing strategies for implementing those goals, and working consistently to achieve them.
|
