Healthcare reform is one of the most heated issues of debate and concern in current U.S. politics, and opinions about President Obama’s intended changes span over every inch of the spectrum, from total support for universal healthcare to complete opposition. While supportable arguments can be posed from each side, an interesting and somewhat tangential question is raised: isn’t there any way to minimize the initial need for so much healthcare coverage to begin with? Vaccinations have made their way into political discussion, but company employers and others have found means of encouraging lifestyle changes that can confront health issues before they even emerge.
An increasing number of businesses are now offering a variety of incentives and ultimatums regarding their workers’ lifestyles. According to a review by the Harvard School of Public Health, employers are enforcing tobacco-free policies both on and off the job, reimbursing for gym memberships, offering cash or gift card incentives, free health coaching, and insurance-premium discounts to workers who meet health standards, and many provide a number of other rewards to encourage better worker health. On a campus with a large percentage of athletes and a well-equipped fitness center and athletic facility, wouldn’t you like to get paid for working out? In the midst of an obesity epidemic and an economic recession, wouldn’t insurance discounts for living healthfully be convenient? Knowing that my family’s insurance plan will stop covering me after graduation, I know that I’d definitely profit from the incentives—and be a little more motivated to work out!
As appealing as the ideas may sound to a health-driven employee, the benefits can be mutual. Employers are recognizing the advantages of improved employee health to their workforce and productivity. According to a Health Resources Online statement on the Research and Markets audio conference published in Business Wire in January 2009, “…challenges are on the rise for employers and health insurance plans, which is prompting even more predictions of growth in the wellness management profession.” They found that the skyrocketing employer healthcare costs, the obesity issue, the aging working population, and the baby boom generation’s impact on the workforce also contribute to predictions that the wellness and health promotion industry is growing.
Encouragement and a positive outlook, though, are essential to success. According to an article by IncentOne, a company that helps businesses with corporate health and productivity, there is an “art and science” to achieving goals through health incentives. Their Sr. Vice President of Health and Productivity solutions, Sue Lewis, advises offering some form of instant gratification—such as payment in portions—and rewards valued $100 or higher, finding such to be typically successful in keeping workers on board with their goals. She discourages disincentives, which punish workers for noncompliance, because they contribute to a negative atmosphere. Then again, I probably wouldn’t be thrilled knowing that a company could fire me for not kicking a bad habit in time or skipping a day at the gym!
Although the fact that Americans need monetary incentives to work out, eat healthier, and avoid harmful substances does not shine a flattering light on us, the solution—or at least contributor—of incentives may simply make sense. While a person practicing healthy lifestyle habits is still susceptible to thousands of ailments, he or she obviously decreases the chances of developing those for which smokers, obesity sufferers, alcoholics, drug users, and others unconcerned with maintaining proper health are at serious risk.
Our nation is experiencing an enormous demand for healthcare reform, and even President Obama, during his September 9 speech, admitted that his proposed healthcare plan would require four years to be fully implemented in order to function effectively. Individual efforts at adapting or working toward an overall healthier lifestyle, on the other hand, can begin as soon as possible, and they are at least a starting point on the path to more affordable healthcare for Americans.
While acts can be as simple as going for a walk or cutting back on junk food, if each American were to find a way to implement or encourage such changes, then small contributions—from nearly every social class—could combine into a much larger, healthy form of preventative healthcare. If we’re willing to have doctors stick needles in our arms to prevent illness, then why shouldn’t we consider cutting back on smoking or burgers?
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