E to E...by Employers for Employers E to E provides information from a business perspective that will educate regional employers about significant healthcare issues to help them make decisions benefiting their organizations and employees.

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October 2007 Issue

Contents

Healthcare needs burgeon for "Baby Boomers"

Quick Poll – Review

October Quick Poll – Vote

Further Reading

Contact Information

NIHP Home

Healthcare needs burgeon for "Baby Boomers"

How many of your employees are considered Baby Boomers? And how many of them plan to retire at age 65? Knowing these statistics — and making decisions based upon them — may be key to keeping your healthcare costs in line and your workforce productive in the coming years.

The truth is, Baby Boomers as a group are not as robust as they think they are. In fact, statistics from many studies show they are less healthy than same-age counterparts from before WWII. Some of the conditions projected to be most common among this age group include:

  • Arthritis
  • Diabetes
  • Obesity
  • Back disorders
  • Cancer

Despite these age-related drawbacks, employers cannot underestimate the experience, knowledge, and overall value employees in this demographic generally add to the work environment. For many, the extra healthcare costs are well worth it, counteracting the expenses of new employee recruitment, relocation, inexperience, and work ethic woes.

So, what to do?

Employer programs can go a long way to help manage many "boomer" conditions. Subsidized health club memberships, fitness and yoga classes, massage, and other prevention tools are generally well-received and utilized by this group, as well as by younger employees. Early identification and intervention are also important. As such, human resources departments are increasingly making an administrator accountable for healthcare education and creative program implementation based on workforce demographics.

How many of your employees are considered Baby Boomers? What illnesses are plaguing them? It may be time for you to identify risk factors among distinct workforce populations, and then put together programs to address them. If you need help analyzing specific demographics within your healthcare plan, talk to NIHP. We can work with you to evaluate program data in multiple ways.

Source/Reference: Employee Benefit News



A Quick Review of Last Issue's "Quick Poll"

In the July 2007 issue of E to E we asked readers, "Which of the following programs do you think has the greatest potential for helping your employees lead a healthier lifestyle?" The chart below summarizes your responses.

July Quick - Poll Summary


October Quick Poll — Vote

What percentage of your workforce falls under the "Baby Boomers" demographic?
(Click a response to vote. Answers are strictly anonymous.)

Then, visit the NIHP website to view this issue's quick poll results.





Further Reading

Baby boomers in bad shape

Medicine.Net.com, March 6, 2007.
A recent study shows that baby boomers ages 51-56 report worse health and more pain, drinking, psychiatric problems, and difficulty with daily physical tasks than their predecessors, and may be heading into their retirement in worse shape than their elders born in the years before World War II.
Could baby boomers be approaching retirement in worse shape than their predecessors?

NIH News, March 5, 2007.
Research supported by the National Institute of Aging (NIA) indicates that Americans in their early to mid-50s today report poorer health, more pain and more trouble doing everyday physical tasks than their older peers reported at the same age in years past.
Weighing boomer retention against risk

Employee Benefit News, July 1, 2007.
Many of the nation’s 77 million baby boomers shows no signs of retiring anytime soon. Whether due to lack of finances or by choice, the majority of boomers plan to stay in the workforce well past age 65, and some even say they don’t plan to retire at all.
Young in mind, not body

Employee Benefit News, July 1, 2007.
Baby boomers may think they are in better health than they actually are. Several new studies indicate that this could prove a costly illusion for employers, especially as more older workers delay retirement.


For more information contact us at:
(800) 723-0202 or NIHPCustomerService@fhn.org

Northern Illinois Health Plan

1006 W. Stephenson St., Freeport, IL 61032

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