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Unhealthy employees versus healthy employees

stackoffolders30346201.jpgWhen it comes to healthy employees and unhealthy employees, the numbers start to soar. Unhealthy employees cost their employers billions of dollars a year in lost production costs, compensation, and healthcare expenses. Healthy employees spend at least $330 per bill that comes from the health insurance company. Studies have found that the United States could save about $76.6 billion on healthcare if everyone in the United States would spend time exercising.

Unhealthy employees aren't just your staff members that smoke or are obese; it is also your employees that live sedentary lifestyles. You employees need to start exercising to improve their health. The National Institute of Health has estimated that cancer costs about $180 billion annually and this cost is expected to continue to rise. There is no cure for cancer, but there are ways to prevent it. One of them is to start exercising and to start eating healthier foods.

Obese employees average $1,500 - $2,800 more per year in medical expenses. Many of them have numerous surgeries to fix things that could have been prevented like knee and back operations. Healthy employees will spend less time in the hospital and they will spend less money on medications. Many of them only visit the doctor for preventative care check-ups or for work-related injuries.

Since so many employees are living unhealthy lifestyles, employers have started taking steps to crack down on their rising healthcare costs. Many of them will actually fire an employee that is causing healthcare costs to skyrocket. Others will charge them a penalty for their high-risk behavior. Then there is a nicer approach which is to offer incentives to get your employees to lose weight.

Medicare shells out nearly $100 billion directly related to obesity-related health issues. Other health insurance companies report that they pay the same amount or a higher amount. Studies have found that obesity is the source of 70 percent of all doctor visits. Obesity leads to serious problems like heart disease, diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, arthritis, and other serious problems. With the staggering medical costs related to obesity, it is no wonder why health insurance companies are increasing insurance premiums to compensate for medical treatments.

Your employees that live sedentary lifestyles are just as bad as your employees that are overweight. These individuals are at an increased risk of strokes, high blood pressure, respiratory failure, and heart attacks. When the body doesn't get the proper amount of exercise it needs, your body starts to shut down. If you try to work it too hard, it will respond with a heart attack or another problem. People that do not exercise often experience blood clots because their heart is not functioning properly and their blood flow is not running smoothly.

Smokers are another cause of increased healthcare costs. Smokers join other unhealthy employees and increase their risk of strokes, heart attacks, respiratory problems, cancer, and other serious health problems. Smokers die 7-20 years earlier from healthy employees.Since their lifestyle choice is controllable, insurance companies will charge them higher rates in an effort to get them to control their behavior.

Many employers are fighting back by making their employees pass health exams before they will offer them health insurance benefits. If the employees are caught violating the policy, they can be fired. Others will be placed on probation and given a large fine from the company for violating the policy. Offer gym memberships to your employees and encourage them to use it often. Make steps in the office to help employees control their health by replacing all the unhealthy foods with healthier choices like vegetables and fruits.

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