National Business Group On Health Survey On Health Care Is Revealing In It Is Findings
How workers view health care is looked out in a new survey conducted by the National Business Group and Hewitt. These insights are key for employers to know as they examine their existing and upcoming health care strategies. Help for prescription medication is high on the list.
In spite of the fact that workers say they might know how to get in good physical shape, many aren’t taking action to do so. Most (84%) think making intelligent choices in every day life leads to excellent overall health, and roughly three-quarters (72%) feel good health is a consequence of getting regular preventive care. Only half of the workers think they do a great or good job of eating healthy, while less than half (46%) reported doing a great or good job of exercising on a regular basis. To assist with the expensive cost of prescription medication, most workers surveyed ranked prescription program assistance pretty high.
Although satisfaction is by and large high in health programs, involvement is low. Workers and dependents say they might know what actions they need to take to get and stay healthy, but participation in many employer-provided health enhancement 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. Stress management programs and employee assistance programs (EAPs) were the least popular, with just nine percent participation in each. For employees that had dependent coverage, a prescription program was the number one satisfying benefit.
Financial motivation is a strong factor in participation but non monetary, internal motivators can be just as effective. Many employers presume that offering cash incentives in exchange for involvement will generate the best results and incent employees to participate in health care programs. Nearly half would complete a health-risk questionnaire (HRQ) without any incentive because it is “the right thing to do”. About 30% of the individuals would complete a survey if there was a penalty for not doing so and an additional 30% would do it if there was a monetary incentive involved. 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.