Insights as to how workers and their dependents view health care is revealed in a new survey released by the National Business Group and conducted by Hewitt. In order to plan their corporate health care strategies, it is important to be aware of the results of the survey. Help for prescription drugs is high on the list. 

 

Workers might know how to get healthy, but a lot aren't taking action. Most (84%) think making smart decisions in every day life leads to good overall health, and roughly three-quarters (72%) believe good health is a result of getting regular preventive care. Only half of the employees think they do a great or good job of eating healthy, while less than half (46%) reported doing a great or good job of working out on a regular basis. To assist with the high cost of prescription drugs, most employees surveyed rated prescription program assistance very high. 

 

In spite of high satisfaction in health programs, involvement remains low. Workers and dependents say they might know what actions they need to take to get and stay healthy, but involvement in many employer-provided health improvement programs is not as high as businesses would like. Biometric screenings are the most popular programs with online health information tools and health risk questionnaires following closely. The least popular programs were stress management programs and employee assistance programs. For workers that have dependent coverage, a prescription program was the number one satisfying benefit.

 

Financial motivation is a strong factor in participation but non financial, internal motivators can be just as valuable. Frequently, employers assume that providing financial incentives for participating in programs will increase participation. Nearly half would complete a health-risk questionnaire (HRQ) without any incentive because it is "the right thing to do". Twenty-nine percent would participate in a HRQ for an incentive and almost the same number would complete it if there was a penalty. Further, 44% of workers would participate in a wellness or health improvement program offered by their employer because it is the right thing to do.

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