Give Me One Reason
How about paying less for your health insurance? Is that a good enough reason? Yeah—we thought so too. Medicare packages accompanied with gym memberships are becoming increasingly common as multiple studies have shown that people who are enrolled in fitness programs cost less to insure. A report published this morning in the New England Journal of Medicine revealed that patients with Medicare Advantage plans that began offering gym membership option in either 2004 or 2005 reported having excellent or very good health, up to 6.1% points higher than the numbers seen prior to the initiation of the fitness programs.
The rising cost of healthcare is leading to more companies (big and small businesses alike) offering fitness benefits in the workplace as well. The inkling behind this is that happier, healthier employees take fewer sick days are more productive and again—they cost less to insure. Since the overall data for 2011 is not in just yet, in an annual report issued by the Kaiser Family Foundation in 2010, nearly three-quarters of companies that provide benefits also offered fitness programs, up 57% from 2009.
Since 2000 annual premiums for family coverage has almost doubled, averaging out at $13,770 and businesses/companies fund approximately 70% of that amount. Need more proof? In a study conducted through Harvard University, for every dollar a business spends on wellness programs it saves on average $3.27 in medical costs and $2.73 in absenteeism costs--you do the math.
Though the open enrollment for this year`s Medicare Advantage programs has ended, the new enrollment period will be here before you know it, so these options are definitely something to keep in mind when revamping your programs next year. If your company or medical insurer isn`t offering fitness programs incentives, don`t be afraid to speak up and say something! They`re bound to gain just as much from a wellness program as you are! If you`d like to learn more about the study published in the New England Journal of Medicine as well as to view the full disclosure of results, please visit:www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1104273