Health Care Statistics

• According to the National Coalition on Healthcare (NCHC): The costs of healthcare premiums have increased 5 times faster on average than the earnings of workers since the year 2000.
  Source: The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Employee Health Benefits: 2006 Annual Survey. 26 September 2006.
   
• The NCHC also notes that in 2005, “Employer health insurance premiums increased by 9.2%, nearly three times the rate of inflation.”
  Source: Nathional Coalition on Healthcare Cost, “Health Insurance Cost"
   
• In one study, members of a Travelers fitness center were absent from work significantly fewer days than nonmembers, and in another four year study, sick leave was reduced 19%.
  Source: Prevent Disease.com, WELCOA (Wellness Councils of America) - 199
   
• At DuPont, each dollar invested in workplace health promotion yielded $1.42 in lower absenteeism costs over a 2 year period.
  Source: Prevent Disease.com
   
• The American Journal of Public Health reported that Johnson and Johnson reduced their absenteeism rate by 15% within two years of introducing their wellness program. They also cut their hospital costs by 34% after just three years.
  Source: Prevent Disease.com, Johnson & Johnson, Human Resources Executive, April 1993
   
• Stress and the Immune System: The National Institute of Health (NIH) reported in October 2000, that if you’re chronically stressed, the part of the brain that controls the adrenal glands will cause a constant release of hormones. The immune cells are bathed in molecules that are essentially telling them to stop fighting, which then reduces resistance to disease. And so, in situations of chronic stress, immune cells are less able to respond to an invader like bacteria or a virus.
  Source: The NIH Word on Health, October 2000
   
• In a stressful situation the digestive tract and the immune system temporarily halt their functions to allow for the immediate and urgent problem to be resolved.
   
• What happens if stress continues in a person’s life and is not the result of a rare situation, but rather the continuous stress of money, marriage, and work, etc.? The answer is a loss of normal digestion, a lowering of immunity and added stress on the heart. Continued stress equals absenteeism, lost productivity and increased healthcare costs
   
• Another area of corporate healthcare costs that should be addressed is preventing on-the-job injuries which primarily come from repetitive motion disorders.
   
• According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, repetitive motion, such as grasping tools, scanning groceries, and typing, resulted in the longest absences from work in 2002. Among major disabling injuries and illnesses, median days away from work were highest for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
   
• The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health Administration stated: 60% of all on-the-job injuries will be caused by repetitive motion injuries. Of these, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is the most frequent. The average Carpal Tunnel Syndrome injury costs approximately $4,000 in benefits and rehabilitation per patient. If surgical intervention was required, the costs rose to more than
  $20,000 per patient. Source: National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, as quoted in Chiropractic Products, February 1997, p. 46, Op cit. NIOSH Facts, p. 1.
   
• As part of our wellness program we will train your employees on a 5-minute stretch program to be done once per day that can prevent these problems and reduce workers’ compensation injuries from occurring.
   
• Howalt-McDowell Insurance in Sioux Falls, S.D., is one company seeing the results of employee wellness. What began as an educational effort to encourage employees to seek preventive care, quickly turned into an employee screening program and one-on-one meetings with a case manager. Once the health evaluations were complete, Howalt-McDowell management looked at the health risks and then implemented staff lunch-and-learns and employee activities to address those specific conditions.
  Source: The Principal Financial Group®, “Finally, A Reason to Feel Good About Healthcare”
   
• I can’t underestimate the value of wellness screenings. Our employees were able to identify dangerous health conditions before they became serious and we were able to prevent the impact on the health plan,” said Lorna Williamson human resources manager for Howalt-McDowell Insurance. “Employees were somewhat apprehensive about wellness at first, but by the end of the first year, we reached nearly 99 percent participation. Wellness is working for us, we’re having a lot of fun with it and we’re starting to see the results.”
  Source: The Principal Financial Group®, “Finally, A Reason to Feel Good About Healthcare”
   
• Reports show that healthier employees spend fewer days away from work due to illness, saving the company thousands and even millions of dollars on down time and temporary help. Wellness programs can also help alleviate depression and help employees manage their time and stress levels better, all of which are contributing factors to missed work days.
   
• Motorola Inc. has instituted a comprehensive wellness program. The company found that for every dollar it invested, it saved $3.93, according to a 2003 report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report, “Prevention Makes Common Cents.”
   
• Heavy machinery manufacturer Caterpillar estimates that its wellness program will save the company $700 million by 2015.
   
• Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. found that 85 percent of its employees in its New York offices participated in at least one wellness program, and that 80 percent used on-site facilities such as fitness centers or physical therapy, according to the HHS report.