Why Some Employers Are Paying Employees To Lose Weight

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From Your Health Journal…..”A great article today from FOX Business by Donna Fuscaldo called, Why Some Employers Are Paying Employees To Lose Weight. To lower expenses, some companies now offer incentives to lose weight – in the form of money. The obesity epidemic plaguing the country not only adds billions of dollars in costs to the nation’s health-care system, it also weighs on employees’ productivity. According to the article, obesity and health issues cost more than $153 billion a year in lost productivity due to absenteeism. So, businesses are trying to pay employees to be healthy. Many of you who read this may think this is crazy and ask, “why don’t people just lose weight because they want to be healthy.” Good question, but I am not prepared to answer this. Employees are using BMI (Body Mass Index) to measure weight loss. A BMI takes height and weight measurements to see if someone’s weight falls within a healthy range. The BMI Challenge pays $1,000 to people who invest $300 to participate and go from an obese BMI to a normal BMI in 12 months. Please visit the FOX site (link provided below) to read the complete article.”

From the article…..

Money talks, particularly when it comes to losing weight.

In an effort to cut their expenses, companies have launched wellness programs that pay workers to lose weight and hopefully lower their health risks and time and money spent on care.

“Weight loss is more fun and more successful if you offer individuals cash,” says David Roddenberry, CEO of wellness program HealthyWage.com.

The obesity epidemic plaguing the country not only adds billions of dollars in costs to the nation’s health-care system, it also weighs on employees’ productivity. According to HealthyWage, workers dealing with obesity and other chronic health issues cost more than $153 billion a year in lost productivity due to absenteeism.

Reduced productivity and the rising costs associated with health insurance, employers are increasingly looking for programs that will get workers fit and drive down health-care costs.

Some programs offered by HealthyWage have the employees putting in the money to lose weight. “People are motivated if they’re putting down their own money and losing their own money,” says Roddenberry. He adds that in addition to reducing health-care costs, companies are drawn to weight-loss wellness programs because they engage workers and cultivate team building across an organization.

HealthyWage offers employers many programs to choose from that track an individual’s progress or a team’s weight loss.

The BMI Challenge pays $1,000 to people who invest $300 to participate and go from an obese BMI to a normal BMI in 12 months. Participants have to follow a set of rules and check in weekly to track progress. Participants who don’t want to invest the $300 over the year can earn $100 for getting to a normal BMI. According to HealthyWage, about 25% of those that committed their money won the $1,000 at the end of the challenge.

To read the full article…..Click here