Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Tweet[IWS] EBRI: WELLNESS PROGRAMS: AMERICAN ATTITUDES [30 October 2007]
IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI)
Fast Facts from EBRI
FFE #66, Oct. 30, 2007
How Do Americans View Wellness Programs? [30 October 2007]
http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/facts/fastfacts/fastfact103007.pdf
WASHINGTONMany employers use or are considering wellness programs as a way of controlling health care costs, and in general employed Americans feel positively about employers offering programs that encourage workers to adopt healthier lifestyles. What does the latest Health Confidence Survey, released last week, say about specific attitudes toward wellness programs?
Overall attitude:
* Eight in 10 report they are strongly or somewhat positive about these types of programs (41 percent each). Less than 2 in 10 feel somewhat (12 percent) or strongly negative (4 percent) about these programs.
Where reservations appear:
* Employees' comfort with wellness programs decreases sharply as the programs become more managed. Six in 10 (60 percent) say they would be extremely or very comfortable if their employer were to offer lower-cost opportunities for health screenings and programs.
* Only half (50 percent) express this level of comfort with a program that sends reminders when annual checkups, health screenings, or prescriptions are due.
* Even less (44 percent) would be extremely or very comfortable if their employer were to offer insurance at reduced cost to workers who take a physical and qualify for the reduction, even if workers in poorer health or with at-risk behaviors could qualify by agreeing to manage their illness or lower their health risk.
Impact of premiums:
* Despite some discomfort with wellness programs, sizable portions of workers might take advantage of them if they reduced health insurance premiums. More than 4 in 10 employed Americans report they would be extremely (21 percent) or very likely (23 percent) to participate if it reduced their premium by 5 percent.
* Half would be extremely (29 percent) or very likely (21 percent) to participate if it reduced their premium by 10 percent. But almost 3 in 10 (28 percent) state would be unlikely to participate for a 5 percent reduction, and 2 in 10 (21 percent) would be unlikely to participate even with a 10 percent reduction.
* The data suggest that those in poorer health, with chronic conditions, or with at-risk behaviors would be considerably less likely than other workers to participate, even with a 10 percent reduction in premium.
Employer motivations important:
* Although many workers agree that wellness programs can help people develop healthier lifestyles, many have reservations about employer motivations for offering them. More than 8 in 10 each strongly or somewhat agree that wellness programs can help people (89 percent) or themselves (83 percent) develop healthier lifestyles.
* Three-quarters (76 percent) agree employers that offer wellness programs are showing concern for their workers. However, sizable portions of employed Americans agree that employers that offer wellness programs are only concerned about their bottom line (65 percent) and are intruding on worker privacy (45 percent).
Full results of the 2007 Health Confidence Survey appear in the November 2007 EBRI Notes , published by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute and available at < http://www.ebri.org/ >www.ebri.org < http://www.ebri.org/>
Fast Facts from EBRI is issued occasionally by the Employee Benefit Research Institute to highlight benefits information that may be of current interest. Established in 1978, EBRI is an independent nonprofit organization committed exclusively to data dissemination, policy research, and education on economic security and employee benefits. EBRI does not take policy positions and does not lobby.
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI)
Fast Facts from EBRI
FFE #66, Oct. 30, 2007
How Do Americans View Wellness Programs? [30 October 2007]
http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/facts/fastfacts/fastfact103007.pdf
WASHINGTONMany employers use or are considering wellness programs as a way of controlling health care costs, and in general employed Americans feel positively about employers offering programs that encourage workers to adopt healthier lifestyles. What does the latest Health Confidence Survey, released last week, say about specific attitudes toward wellness programs?
Overall attitude:
* Eight in 10 report they are strongly or somewhat positive about these types of programs (41 percent each). Less than 2 in 10 feel somewhat (12 percent) or strongly negative (4 percent) about these programs.
Where reservations appear:
* Employees' comfort with wellness programs decreases sharply as the programs become more managed. Six in 10 (60 percent) say they would be extremely or very comfortable if their employer were to offer lower-cost opportunities for health screenings and programs.
* Only half (50 percent) express this level of comfort with a program that sends reminders when annual checkups, health screenings, or prescriptions are due.
* Even less (44 percent) would be extremely or very comfortable if their employer were to offer insurance at reduced cost to workers who take a physical and qualify for the reduction, even if workers in poorer health or with at-risk behaviors could qualify by agreeing to manage their illness or lower their health risk.
Impact of premiums:
* Despite some discomfort with wellness programs, sizable portions of workers might take advantage of them if they reduced health insurance premiums. More than 4 in 10 employed Americans report they would be extremely (21 percent) or very likely (23 percent) to participate if it reduced their premium by 5 percent.
* Half would be extremely (29 percent) or very likely (21 percent) to participate if it reduced their premium by 10 percent. But almost 3 in 10 (28 percent) state would be unlikely to participate for a 5 percent reduction, and 2 in 10 (21 percent) would be unlikely to participate even with a 10 percent reduction.
* The data suggest that those in poorer health, with chronic conditions, or with at-risk behaviors would be considerably less likely than other workers to participate, even with a 10 percent reduction in premium.
Employer motivations important:
* Although many workers agree that wellness programs can help people develop healthier lifestyles, many have reservations about employer motivations for offering them. More than 8 in 10 each strongly or somewhat agree that wellness programs can help people (89 percent) or themselves (83 percent) develop healthier lifestyles.
* Three-quarters (76 percent) agree employers that offer wellness programs are showing concern for their workers. However, sizable portions of employed Americans agree that employers that offer wellness programs are only concerned about their bottom line (65 percent) and are intruding on worker privacy (45 percent).
Full results of the 2007 Health Confidence Survey appear in the November 2007 EBRI Notes , published by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute and available at < http://www.ebri.org/ >www.ebri.org < http://www.ebri.org/>
Fast Facts from EBRI is issued occasionally by the Employee Benefit Research Institute to highlight benefits information that may be of current interest. Established in 1978, EBRI is an independent nonprofit organization committed exclusively to data dissemination, policy research, and education on economic security and employee benefits. EBRI does not take policy positions and does not lobby.
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************
# posted by SBasefsky : 10:08 AM
