On September 30, the U.S. Senate voted to adopt a measure aimed at rewarding healthy behavior as part of the Obama Administration's overall healthcare reform legislation. The Senate Finance Committee voted for a bi-partisan amendment that would allow health plans to provide financial incentives for people to quit smoking, exercise more and engage in other healthy activities.
Yesterday's vote came in tandem with a new report published in the American Heart Association's journal, Circulation, saying U.S. companies could reduce health costs and boost productivity with programs that address risk factors for heart disease among workers. According to the report, an estimated 25-30 percent of companies' annual medical costs go to employees with health problems including obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes -- all risk factors for heart disease.
Client data collected by Virgin HealthMiles, a provider of incentives-based health and productivity programs for business and government, corroborates the value of increased physical activity and incentives in lowering healthcare costs. Virgin HealthMiles clients report considerable cost savings as a result of their corporate wellness program. Virgin HealthMiles clients also see quantifiable results from their wellness initiatives: on average, 29% of formerly inactive members have become active; 21% who were hypertensive or pre-hypertensive have lowered their blood pressure by at least one category, and 14% with high body fat percentage have dropped into the healthy range.