Part of the "What I Learned Reading CDHC Solutions" series: According to Barb Hendrickson's, of Incentive Marketing Association, new
article incentives lower costs. Who'd a thought? In every study conducted by the American Institute of Preventive Medicine companies saved money on health care costs for every employee that participated in an incentive based wellness program.
It is incredible to me that more companies don't do this. Prevention is cheaper than treatment for most (I don't want to say "all" because I am not a doctor) diseases. Think about it. Most people that have type-2 diabetes are overweight or obese. Countless numbers of these people lose weight, get healthy, and do not need their diabetes medication any more. How many men in their 50's need pills for some sort of heart condition? Heart disease is a huge problem in this country and a so many of those people wouldn't need to take anything if they just ate better. Companies are always complaining about lack of productivity, especially when it is attributed to employees' health. Then they complain about how much insuring their employees cost. Why not kill two birds with one stone and incentivize a healthier lifestyle?