It’s been proven time and again: Wellness programs with high participation rates achieve significant cost savings. But few companies are reaching the participation levels they need, so they’re bringing out the big guns.
Pretty soon, simply completing a health risk assessment or answering a health questionnaire won’t be enough to earn employees incentives — like breaks on their healthcare premiums or discounts on gym memberships.
This year, to cash in on some of the generous incentives employers are offering as part of their wellness programs, employees will actually have to do something more exhaustive — like participate in a class that helps them lose weight or quit smoking.
In fact, 42% of large employers said they’ll require their workers to complete a health coaching class or disease management program to earn a financial incentive in 2011, according to a survey of 507 employers by Towers Watson and the National Business Group on Health.
And according to a report in the Los Angeles Times, a separate study by Towers Watson revealed that 62% of employers said that instead of offering employees incentives to participate in wellness programs, they’ll only pay up after they see demonstrated action and results.
However, the news isn’t all bleak for employees. In that same study, nearly two thirds (65%) of employers said that they’ll increase the incentives they offer to take part in wellness programs this year.
So the payoff for employees to improve their health should get even bigger in 2011.
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