November 2012
Report to Members, By Philip Kirschner, President

Turning to Workplace Wellness to Cut Healthcare Costs

We all know that the cost of health insurance is a big problem for employers. It has become a matter of survival for businesses to learn how to control their healthcare costs by shopping around for affordable plans, increasing cost sharing and many other strategies. Now, NJBIA is working with the healthcare industry to promote a new tool—workplace wellness programs.

NJBIA recently joined with the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute and other organizations to be a part of the Workplace Wellness Campaign to help businesses begin or expand the wellness programs they offer to their employees.

Wellness programs are designed to promote healthy lifestyles among employees with programs like on-site health screenings, incentives for gym memberships and weight-loss programs, or walking or biking clubs.

Healthier employees can reduce healthcare costs and improve productivity by reducing losses for sick time. Wellness programs typically deliver a return on investment of nearly 4-to-1 in reduced medical costs and more than 5-to-1 in reduced absenteeism. According to numerous studies, wellness programs have reduced healthcare costs by an average of 26 percent, absenteeism by 27 percent and workers’ compensation and disability claims by 32 percent.

Businesses generally recognize the value of wellness programs, but many employers, especially small businesses, do not have the resources to implement programs the way they would like. That’s where the Workplace Wellness Program comes in.

The Workplace Wellness Campaign was developed by the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute to mirror its successful Mayors’ Wellness Campaign for municipalities. NJBIA joined former Governor and First Lady James and Lucinda Florio, New Jersey Health Department Deputy Commissioner Bill Conroy and others at a Statehouse press conference to launch the initiative on September 21.

Participating employers will be asked to sign a simple “wellness pledge.” The pledge simply states that the firm believes “company-wide wellness is of the utmost importance” and agrees to work with the campaign “to implement a comprehensive wellness program that will promote active living and healthy lifestyles for all of our employees.”

There is no cost to join.

The campaign provides businesses with resources to implement wellness programs starting with a list of wellness programs that can be implemented right away, such as regular emails about healthy living or holding a walking contest. It also provides numerous examples of workplace wellness initiatives that other businesses have implemented. For more information, visit www.workplacewellnesscampaign.org.

Healthcare costs are having an enormous negative impact on New Jersey companies, both small and large. Anything we can do to lower these high costs is worth doing. Wellness programs offer hope for just that. What makes this program so good is that it will help small businesses that don’t have the resources to develop their own wellness programs.

Vincent Schweikert, Vice President & Publisher
973-882-5004. ext. 110
v.schweikert@njbmagazine.com

Anthony Birritteri, Editor-in-Chief
973-882-5004. ext. 104
a.birritteri@njbmagazine.com

George Saliba, Managing Editor
973-882-5004. ext. 106
g.saliba@njbmagazine.com

Lisa Fragati-Criscuolo, Advertising Manager
973-882-5004. ext. 108
l.criscuolo@njbmagazine.com

Gloria Owens, Account Executive
973-882-5004. ext. 109
g.owens@njbmagazine.com

Doug Prefach, Account Executive
973-882-5004. ext. 102
d.prefach@njbmagazine.com