BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina

Numbers don't lie

Most investment managers would be thrilled to achieve the kind of return on investment (ROI) that successful workplace wellness initiatives deliver. Many studies have demonstrated ROIs in the range of $3 in return for every $1 spent.¹ ROI generally includes direct medical savings and reduced absenteeism costs.

According to a review of such studies by Ron Z. Goetzel, Ph.D., an expert in the economics of workplace wellness promotion, the median ROI is approximately $3.14 in benefits per dollar spent.² And those benefits are realized fairly quickly: According to Goetzel, companies with comprehensive workplace wellness programs achieve a 25 to 30 percent reduction in medical and absenteeism costs in about 3.6 years.³

The health conditions that drive up employer premiums are, with few exceptions, related to lifestyle choices and can therefore be prevented or modified. Employees with seven modifiable risk factors – high blood pressure, high cholesterol, overweight or obesity, high blood sugar, high stress and physical inactivity – cost employers an astonishing 228 percent more than their healthier colleagues, Goetzel’s research shows.⁴ The fact is, employers who don’t help at-risk employees improve their health status will be most susceptible to the effects of health care cost inflation, which shows no signs of slowing. It all begins with you.

1. Fit Together Web site (www.fittogethernc.org)
2. Goetzel, Ron Z.; Juday, Timothy R.; and Ozminkowski, Ronald J. “What’s the ROI: A Systematic Review of Return-on-Investment Studies of Corporate Health and Productivity Management Initiatives,” AWHP’s Worksite Health, Summer 1999.
3. Goetzel, Ron Z., and Ozminkowski, Ronald J., “What’s Holding You Back: Why Should (or Shouldn’t) Employers Invest in Health Promotion for Their Workers?” North Carolina Medical Journal, December 2006.
4. Ibid.