How does employee weight loss help control health insurance costs

Weight loss has become a huge issue across America today.America has one of the highest obesity rates in the world and as employees continue to be overweight health insurance costs will continue to skyrocket.When it comes to health insurance the big question is how do we lower the costs?When perhaps the question should be how does employee weight loss help control health insurance costs?

Believe it or not weight loss and health and fitness have much more to do with rising health care costs than you might think.Obesity is the fastest growing major health problem in the United States today.Obesity is not limited to just life threatening ailments (although there are several related to it); type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol are all attributed to overweight individuals.So what does that have to do with health insurance you ask?

Let's take a quick look at how much health care an average, fairly health individual might need compared to an employee that is already overweight and suffering from other things like heart disease.How often do you think an employee that is average weight, eats fairly healthy food and takes care of themselves on a daily basis (meaning some sort of fitness training) has to go to the doctors office for problems?A yearly health checkup and screening, and perhaps the odd visit now and then during the cold and flu season.Now let's look at the flip side; how often do you suppose an overweight individual mostly eats fast food and doesn't exercise would have to make trips to the doctors office?Much more than the first right?Are you beginning to see how this affects the costs of health care?

If you have a room full of overweight employees the amount of money you spend on health care will definitely increase.They are more likely to have chronic ailments like heart disease, high cholesterol, and need more health checkups than a room full of health employees.

So what can you do as an employer to help keep your employees from being overweight and your health care costs down?
Many companies have adopted wellness programs to help keep their employees healthy, fit, and out of the doctors offices.Wellness programs can range from giving employees education classes about tobacco use and smoking, health and wellness, to incentives to losing weight and stay health and fit.Statistics have proven time and time again that when employees are well and health productivity increases.What company can argue with that statement?The benefit for employers is a decrease in health care costs and an increase in employee wellness as well as company productivity.And there are definitely benefits for the employee as well.Health and wellness should be an issue for everyone today; staying fit; and educating themselves on unhealthy habits.As companies invest the time and money in wellness programs employees feel that they are needed and valued and will start to change.Better health will decrease the cost of health insurance prices and drive premiums down rather than employing unhealthy individuals and driving the costs up.

If you didn't know before, you are well aware how employee weight loss can help control health insurance costs and possibly even bring them down.Help make your work place and your employees by getting them actively involved with their own health.