Including Obesity in Group Health and Wellness
Addressing Obesity within Group Health and Wellness
At the end of the 80s, the percentage of Americans who were classified as obese was forty-six percent. Today, this figure has increased to an alarming sixty-five percent, almost two-thirds of the entire population.
Because obesity puts a tremendous amount of stress on the physical body, illnesses related to this have increased in tandem with the disease. Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, some kinds of cancer, cardiovascular disease, sleep apnea and hypertension, all of which are attributable to obesity, have become the primary causes of death in the United States.
The rapid increase in the prevalence of all these conditions has caused medical expenses to explode beyond a level that companies can afford. In contrast, no action has been taken on the part of the employers who pay for the benefits or the health insurance providers that design applications of health care benefits, to address the issue. Why?
Obesity and Weight-Loss Programs within a Wellness Plan
Part of the problem is that there is no way to accurately subscribe to a weight loss solution. While some programs work for certain individuals, they do not work to motivate others to lose weight. There is no one size fits all answer. In addition, extra expenses related to obesity don’t really begin to cause an increase in health care costs until long after the weight gain, so there is no financial incentive to prevent obesity while the employee is still young.
Obesity and the Effect on Productivity Levels
Obese employees miss approximately 7 more days of work per year than employees who are not overweight. Obesity-related medical expenses cost the employer almost $300 per year per employee. Obese employees move more slowly and are more prone to sprains, strains and back problems yet, because these problems become visible at a very slow rate, employers are not motivated to help contain the extra pounds before they add up to a bigger problem.
Obesity and Medicare Programs
Many Americans over the age of sixty-five qualify for Medicare coverage, thus, the costs for obesity-related health risks are bound for assumption by the Medicare program. Due to the nature of obesity and the fact that most health issues accrue from the additional wear and tear on the body over a long period of time, there is a significant amount of money spent on illnesses resulting from the obese condition after age sixty-five.
Medicare is already carrying a burden and is about to have it increased exponentially as the next generation of obese Americans nears retirement. Is Medicare going to be able to handle the twenty percent increase? In view of this, can efforts be made in the private and public sector to begin better programs to reduce the prevalence of obesity earlier in the American workforce?
Obesity and Health Care Insurance
There is a major opportunity presented for health insurance companies to invest in weight control, nutrition education and to provide incentives for on-site exercise programs in the workplace. There is renewed interest in adding a group wellness plan to facilitate health promotion as method of capping health care costs. Concurrently, the issue of obesity-related health care expenses begs for a progressive response by the health insurance carrier as a necessary next step to maximize industry-sector profits.
Lowering premiums for individuals who have and who will maintain a low BMI may be a worthy incentive to introduce. Capping the level of carbohydrates and sugars allowed in pre-packaged, convenience foods to curb the obesity epidemic in North America deserves serious consideration by the Food and Beverage Industry and its administrative guidelines.
Writer Bio: John Bates is a leading wellness industry consultant and prolific writer about all aspects of health and wellness programs. His work can be found on numerous wellness websites including his own: Infinite Wellness Solution’s and Infinite Health Coach.