Sponsored by Northern Illinois Health Plan |
July 2008 Issue |
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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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ContentsSeveral states may require wellness programs Estimate your company’s healthcare costs for 2009 – it’s free! |
Several states may require wellness programsWhen it comes to determining if your business needs a wellness program, you are probably like most employers – you consider your own situation, examine options and then determine whether or not wellness activities would be a benefit for you. If so, you will find the necessary funds to budget for a program. Like businesses, states are also becoming more interested in wellness programs for its citizens. It’s probably not surprising to learn that state budgets are being stretched due to their often unhealthy residents. Chronic disease accounts for 78% of U.S. health expenditures and is the main cause of disability and use of health services. Understandably, state budgets are frequently affected by the higher costs of their supplemental assistance programs, and this can be a real concern. While states have often encouraged employers to offer wellness programs when practical, none have gone further than that. This spring two states introduced bills that could push companies to have such programs if they wish to do business with them. California and Michigan are considering legislation that requires companies vying for state contracts to offer wellness programs. California’s bill (if adopted) would apply to employers with 10 or more employees bidding on state contracts worth more than $1 million. Subsidizing memberships to fitness clubs, setting up their own fitness facilities, sponsoring amateur sports teams composed of employees, or providing employees with health information all are means by which businesses could meet the requirements. Michigan’s bill (if adopted) would give preference to businesses that have wellness programs if they wish to win any contracts for goods and services needed by state agencies. The bill loosely defines wellness as "a health promotion program offered by an employer to his or her employees." Whether these states will set the precedence for others to follow remains to be seen. However, as long as states face financial challenges, they will continue to look for creative ways to make their dollars go further. Estimate your company’s healthcare costs for 2009 – it’s free!As an employer, rising business costs may keep you awake at nights wondering how they will affect your bottom line. And no doubt healthcare-related costs are a concern, based on the number of variables about your workforce that make predicting expenses a challenge. There is a free tool available that can help you estimate medical costs, health-related employee absences, and lost productivity while working. The Blueprint for Health* is a survey you can complete to estimate the cost of health-related benefits in an employee population. By entering such basics as number of employees, marital status and age, you can receive estimated percentages and charts for medical and drug costs, lost-work days, and work impairment. To get started, register for free access. This tool is only an estimate to gauge your potential costs. We at the Northern Illinois Health Plan can help you make decisions based on your specific information, and are happy to work with you. Let us know how we can help you. *The Blueprint for Health was developed by the Health as Human Capital Foundation and Riedel & Associates in collaboration with the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) and the National Business Coalition on Health (NBCH). Disclaimer: Any predictive tool has potential for error. Use of information from this website as a sole source for decision-making is not recommended, and is done at the sole discretion of the user. A Quick Review of Last Issue's "Quick Poll"In the April/May 2008 issue of E to E we asked readers, "Do you conduct annual in-person meetings with your employees to explain your healthcare benefits?" Specific survey results are noted in the chart, below.
July Quick Poll – Vote
Further Reading
Workforce Management, May 20, 2008.
365 Days of Wellness, June 12, 2008.
State Health Notes, April 2, 2007. For more information contact us at:
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