Wellness Incentives And The High Cost of Healthcare Essay

Healthcare and wellness are important to every American, business and to our federal government’s bottom line. Sharon (2010) stated, “Staying healthy reduces the demand for health care. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, medical care for persons with chronic disease accounts for 75% of the dollars spent as a nation on medical care. Today’s most serious and expensive health problems are caused, in large part, by poor lifestyle choices: tobacco use, diets high in fat and sugar, inadequate physical activity, and drug and alcohol use.”Wellness Incentives And The High Cost of Healthcare Essay

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While the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC’s) Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity (DNPAO) does currently provide funding to North Carolina and 24 other states to address the growing obesity epidemic and other chronic diseases, a broader look at wellness, defined by Henderson as “a state of optimal well-being that is oriented toward maximizing an individual’s potential,” would be beneficial to reducing the tremendous strain the cost of healthcare puts on the United States budget. North Carolina’s Secretary of the Division of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Kathleen Sebelius, stated at the Commonwealth Fund’s 12th Annual Symposium on Health Care Policy, “When we talk about health care, we always keep in mind that we are not just talking about saving money or increasing efficiency. We are also talking about providing a higher quality of life. When people are healthy, they miss fewer days of work and get more done. They spend more time at home and less time in doctors’ offices. They can take care of their grandkids. They can play softball…They can get a good night of sleep.Wellness Incentives And The High Cost of Healthcare Essay

There is no denying the fact that the cost of health care in the United States has been on a constant rise than the wage of the employees that pay to have access to better healthcare. There is the general fear among these employees that if the rising cost of the health care is not brought under control, there will come a time, and some analyst think, the time is already here, when those employees will not be able to afford health care for themselves and their families. This fear of the unknown is particularly evident among those closer to retirement. Employers of labor have for quite sometimes now, been shifting the burden of the high cost of affordable health care to their employees, and that has significantly reduced employee standard of…show more content…
Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010). The higher cost of affordable Health care is also eroding the ease with which to afford other insurance that covers about 30 percent of Medicare enrollees ‘expenses. In 2005, about 89 percent of beneficiaries obtained such additional coverage, including through former employers (33 percent), medical policies (25 percent), Medicare advantage plans (13 percent), Medicaid (16 percent), or other programs (1 percent) (MedPAC).Wellness Incentives And The High Cost of Healthcare Essay These supplemental insurance programs were all very helpful at the onset, but with the passage of time and as health care costs continued to rise, employers are finding it difficult to support these programs and as a consequence, a greater number of these employers are either reducing the benefit or eliminating these benefits especially those that affects their retirees thereby increasing the cost of these supplemental insurances. The Impact on Employees Most health care analyst believes that health benefits provided by employers are provided as part of the overall compensation paid to workers.Wellness Incentives And The High Cost of Healthcare Essay

Wellness programs are established within organizations to maintain
and enhance current employee health while addressing the increasing
number of health issues that impact worker productivity, absenteeism, and
morale. While such efforts have existed in corporate environments for
decades, programs housed within higher-education institutions have been
less prevalent. A variety of models exist upon which wellness programs
have been based. This article focuses on a wellness program within one
Midwestern research-intensive university. Analysis of program
development, through the lens of one structured model, is emphasized.
Leveraging the impact of health on work productivity,
absenteeism, and healthcare costs is a strategy that makes a positive
† Elizabeth Click is an assistant professor at the Frances Payne Bolton School of
Nursing and medical director for Case Western Reserve University. She received a
bachelor’s degree from the College of Wooster with a major in psychology, and a
doctor of nursing degree from Case Western Reserve University. The content of
this Article is solely the responsibility of Dr. Click, and do not reflect the positions
or policies of Case Western Reserve University.
†† Please note, the Health Matrix: Journal of Law-Medicine is funded by Dr. Click’s
employer, Case Western Reserve University.
Health Matrix · Volume 27 · 2017
Creating a Culture of Health – One University’s Experience
418
difference within populations.1 Enhancing the human capital within an
organization can lead to numerous positive gains.2 Higher education is an
ideal environment for implementing a wellness program, because not only
will faculty and staff benefit, but employees who are taking good care of
themselves will provide role models upon which students can base their
future professional leadership.3 The wellness initiative highlighted in this
article was established by university administration to promote the health
and well-being of faculty and staff. In addition to being a workforce
development strategy, this initiative was created with a goal of positively Wellness Incentives And The High Cost of Healthcare Essay
impacting the university’s work environment and individual participants’
health, and to focus on the development of cost-effective healthcare
delivery efforts. Focusing on health improvement within employee
populations is an important component of a culture of health.
Implementing a university wellness program by 2014 was the major
goal identified when this university created a medical director position.
Implementing an evidence-based, population-health-focused program
became the major focus of work for approximately six months. During that
time, a vision for the program was crafted and vetted with university
leadership. The vision was a campus environment that supports the health
and well-being of faculty and staff to maximize quality of life and
productivity and to help control healthcare costs.
The university wellness initiative offers health and well-being programs
and services with a goal of improving employee health, enhancing morale
and the culture of health, and modifying healthcare expenses over time. As
the leader of this initiative, the medical director was charged with
developing the strategy and initiatives. Partnering with Human Resources
and other key stakeholders was an integral component of this effort.
Analysis of benefit claims and other data enabled the medical director to
recommend relevant clinical programs to positively impact the health
status of the university community. Ultimately, keeping people healthy and
well by encouraging the practice of healthy behaviors among faculty and
1. See Timothy Gubler et al., Doing Well by Making Well: The Impact of Corporate
Wellness Programs on Employee Productivity, 18-19 (Jul. 19, 2016), available at
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2811785; HEALTH
ENHANCEMENT RESEARCH ORGANIZATION, EXPLORING THE VALUE PROPOSITION FOR WORKFORCE
HEALTH: BUSINESS LEADER ATTITUDES ABOUT THE ROLE OF HEALTH AS A DRIVER OF PRODUCTIVITY
AND PERFORMANCE 3-4 (2015); Jessica Grossmeier & Nikki Hudsmith, Exploring the
Value Proposition for Workforce Health: Business Leader Attitudes About the Role
of Health as a Driver of Productivity and Performance, 29 AM. J. OF HEALTH
PROMOTION 2, at 2-3 (2015).
2. Ronald Loeppke, The Value of Health and the Power of Prevention, 1 INT’L J. OF
WORKPLACE HEALTH MGMT. 95, 96-97 (2008).
3. See e.g., Charles E. Kupchella, Colleges and Universities Should give more BroadBased Attention to Health and Wellness – at All Levels, 58 J. OF AM. COLLEGE HEALTH
185, 186 (2009).
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Creating a Culture of Health – One University’s Experience
419
staff was critical. Creating a wellness culture on campus was a goal of this
initiative.Wellness Incentives And The High Cost of Healthcare Essay
Various best-practice guidelines exist in regards to wellness programs
in general and university-based programs in particular.4 The framework for
this work is based, in part, on the guidelines established by the Wellness
Council of America (“WELCOA”).5 Over the past twenty years, seven key
benchmarks of success in results-oriented worksite wellness programs have
been identified including: (1) capturing senior-level support, (2) creating
cohesive wellness teams, (3) collecting data to drive health efforts, (4)
crafting an annual operating plan, (5) choosing appropriate interventions,
(6) creating a supportive, health-promoting environment, and (7)
measuring and evaluating program outcomes. This article analyzes each of
these guidelines as it applies to a university-based program, providing a
detailed overview of each component and examples of real-world
implementation. This article highlights each of the seven benchmarks
WELCOA outlines as the story of the origination and development of one
university-based wellness program is told. Pros and cons associated with
each step are highlighted. A series of critical questions pertaining to each
step are highlighted to guide other institutions as they plan similar
initiatives.
I. Capturing Senior-Level Support
Securing commitment and support from senior leaders is a key
component of successful worksite wellness programs. The level of
commitment is significantly different when an investment of time and
energy and sense of purpose is activated in the C-suite. Ensuring that
leadership is delivering key programming messages positively impacts
wellness program support within an organization. Incorporating that
specific communication in written messages and presentations is critical to
engendering support for a wellness program. Equally important is including
the wellness vision in strategic plan documents. This Midwestern university
utilized all of those opportunities to elicit support for this program.
Various individuals and groups at the university had sporadically
engaged in promotion efforts to secure support for a wellness initiative for
a decade. A multidisciplinary group of Human Resources (“HR”)
professionals, counseling staff, and faculty members developed a program
proposal and secured funding at one point, but the funding was eliminated
when a deficit across the university developed. After a few years, another
support initiative began when a new staff member with prior related
experience began to work at the university. The commitment to moving
4. See e.g., Suzy Harrington, America’s Healthiest Campus®: The OSU Well-Being
Strategy Model, 30 THE ART OF HEALTH PROMOTION 2 (2016).
5. David Hunnicutt & Brittanie Leffelman, WELCOA’s Well Workplace Initiative: The
Seven Benchmarks of Success, ABSOLUTE ADVANTAGE: THE WORKPLACE WELLNESS
MAGAZINE, 2006, at 3.
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Creating a Culture of Health – One University’s Experience
420
forward with plans materialized once senior leadership endorsed the plan
to offer an incentivized wellness program for faculty and staff by 2014. In
part, this was associated with including wellness in the university’s strategic
plan.6
Once formal support and a specific position was established for the
effort, meeting with administrators and senior leaders on campus conveyed
the importance of the initiative to all parties. Annual—or more frequent—
visits and updates became critical communication and marketing efforts
that maintain connectivity and encourage participation and support among
leaders on an ongoing basis.Wellness Incentives And The High Cost of Healthcare Essay
Pros: Senior-level support is critical for program success, but may be
challenging to obtain if the initiative was developed in some other area of
the organization. It will, however, facilitate a positive perception by
employees.
Cons: There are no significant drawbacks to senior-level support, unless
the employee population does not respect and value its leadership.
Critical Questions:
• What are the best methods for maintaining strong leadership
support?
• Why does leadership want to establish a culture of health?
• How can leadership support be highlighted to maximize
employee appreciation, value, and benefit?
• What does leadership value most about the wellness
initiative?
• How can data and outcomes be used to solidify support?
• Which strategies will maximize the value proposition in the
eyes of leadership?
• What is the best way to provide documentation of meeting
and exceeding leadership’s expectations and goals?
• How can leader knowledge grow to keep the organization’s
best interests in focus?Wellness Incentives And The High Cost of Healthcare Essay
II. Creating Cohesive Wellness Teams
Ensuring that the right people are involved in the program and meet
regularly to maintain productivity and momentum is part of the best
practices advocated by WELCOA.7 The significance of multi-level leadership
6. OFFICE OF THE PROVOST, CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIV., THINK BEYOND THE POSSIBLE – OUR
STRATEGIC PLAN FOR CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY, 2013-2018 (2013) [hereinafter
CWRU], available at
http://www.case.edu/provost/media/caseedu/provost/pdf/CWRU_2013-
18_strategicplan_12-30-13.pdf (last visited Feb. 14, 2017).
7. Hunnicutt & Leffelman, supra note 5, at 3.
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Creating a Culture of Health – One University’s Experience
421
has been highlighted.8 Engaging people in every layer of an organization is
necessary to create a culture of health and to engage energetic and
passionate supporters. Three strategies have been used to encourage this
type of advocacy.
A. Health Advisory Committees
During the first six months of program development, the need for an
advisory committee was clear. It was important to utilize a group of key
individuals from all schools and critical departments to provide guidance
and suggestions. Not only did forming this advisory group provide more indepth knowledge about the initiative across the university, but it also
provided the opportunity for greater involvement among stakeholders. An
initial meeting included twenty-one individuals representing the Schools of
Nursing, Medicine, Dental Medicine, Management, Law, Social Sciences,
and Engineering, the College of Arts and Sciences, staff, faculty, the
Department of Nutrition, University Technology, the Office of General
Counsel, Facilities Services, the Division of Finance, the Fitness Center, the
Urban Health Initiative, the Prevention Research Center for Healthy
Neighborhoods, Environmental Health and Safety, University Health and
Counseling Services, University Marketing and Communications, Public
Safety, HR, and the Office for Sustainability.
Since March 2013, this group has met once a month to keep abreast of
program and service developments and evaluations and to provide
guidance and insight regarding interests of constituent groups. Initial
meetings focused on discussing well-being and its importance to the
university. The premise shared was that workforce development strategy
positively impacts productivity, morale, health, and related expenses. A
variety of questions were posed to generate ideas: “Imagine a healthier
work environment at our university: how would daily work life be different
for faculty and staff? What are the top three most important changes that
should be considered? What new initiatives could be implemented?”
Additional meetings focused on considering a day in the life of faculty
and staff at the university. Discussion centered on the current barriers to
good health choices and habits, ways to avoid or remove these barriers,
existing reinforcements of good health choices and habits, top priority
areas for change and modification, and how to determine when the
program’s goals have been realized. How will we know? What will we see?
What will we hear? What will you do? How will you feel? Important
guidance was provided on the new wellness website, data analysis and
evaluation output, and communication of annual and seasonal wellness
activities. Each member of the committee was expected to provide two- or
three-year terms of service to maintain consistency and organizational
support. Most members have been interested in continuing to participate
in the committee, though a few have rotated off due to new work
8. Leonard L. Berry et al., What’s the Hard Return on Employee Wellness Programs?,Wellness Incentives And The High Cost of Healthcare Essay
88 HARV. BUS. REV. 104, 104 (2010).
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422
commitments or because they left their positions or the university. The
committee has provided input on efforts to create a healthy environment
for faculty and staff to enable full engagement in their work, to help those
groups maintain good morale, and to support greater productivity.
B. HR & Benefits
Working closely with the HR staff and HR’s benefits staff has been
critical to successfully implementing this program. Natural alignment
between the HR department and its benefits staff exists as both are focused
on providing employees with the information, programs, and services
necessary to do a good job. HR leadership initially served as strategic
partners in reviewing implementation plans for the incentivized wellness
program that the university’s president was interested in offering. Benefits
staff members were instrumental in facilitating connections with University
Technology staff to develop online program participation attestation forms,
online wellness activity tracking, and connections with payroll staff to
automate distribution of incentive payment for participation in activities
and programs. The benefits staff provided monitoring of activity completion
by reviewing data feeds from vendors. The collaborative focus of everyone
involved has facilitated the development of this personalized university
program.
Another important aspect of the program’s success has been the close
working relationship of the two individuals directly responsible for plans
and implementation of all program details. An appropriate level of support
to actualize all program plans is a critical foundation for mission and goal
achievement. Collaboration, communication, and a unified energy and
commitment to the vision has facilitated goal achievement.
C. Wellness Champions
For wellness programs to be successful, they must engage employees
and leaders must believe in the programs. To facilitate engagement,
organizations often establish wellness champions (“champs”) to promote
the program broadly at a grassroots level. Identifying employees that would
like to serve as voluntary program ambassadors is a current industry trend.
One large organization keeps five-hundred site-specific wellness champions
up to date on program offerings and initiatives via monthly phone calls.9
The test-case university has begun a similar pilot initiative. The purpose of
this effort is to improve and sustain university employees’ health through a
supportive environment in which information is shared. This can be
accomplished by increasing the number of departments actively
participating in wellness programs and honoring and recognizing individual
and department efforts toward creating a healthy workplace.
A pilot initiative was developed in year one with six champs. Each
champ works as a key communicator of wellness programs, activities, and
resources. Wellness champions focus on promoting faculty and staff
9. Id.
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Creating a Culture of Health – One University’s Experience
423
engagement and participation in the wellness program and campus Wellness Incentives And The High Cost of Healthcare Essay
programs, services, and events, helping fellow faculty and staff understand
the program to improve utilization, and recognizing individual and
department efforts to create a healthy workplace. Wellness champions’
responsibilities include creating an email distribution list for interested
individuals and sharing monthly wellness emails with that distribution list,
following the wellness program on Facebook and sharing news with friends
when applicable, posting paper flyers in the work area as needed, attending
meetings three times annually, brainstorming ideas for greater
involvement, and offering at least one wellness initiative for their work
group annually—summertime lunch walks, healthy potluck lunches, takethe-stairs campaigns. A special booklet called “Your Easy Access Guide to
Well-Being on Campus” was developed to highlight the myriad ways in
which champs could foster wellness engagement throughout the university.
The initial workshop offered for champs was a half-day event focused
on getting to know everyone, discussing the wellness champion role,
sharing thoughts on the current program and opportunities for the future,
prioritizing personal wellness goals, and sharing details about upcoming fall
wellness activities. Wellness champions receive email updates twice a
month to keep them up to date on activities and provide important details
to send to colleagues and friends. This informal communication method has
spread the word on wellness in a more direct manner. In this technologydriven and information-filled world, sending messages via email from
colleagues is an effective way to provide information. It is this type of peerto-peer communication that directly led to one employee success story—a
champ shared information about a new online program offering and, as a
result, a colleague found the tobacco cessation program that helped her
stop using tobacco within a month. The time was right, the message was
clear, and the behavior change foundation led to cessation

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Organisational and workplace wellness programs can be expounded as services sponsored by employers so that the good health of workers are enhanced and maintained throughout their tenures in office. As much as such programs are quite unique in terms of the broad objectives and applications, they can still be readily differentiated from organisational health care programs that often lay a lot of emphasis on worker’s assistance and health insurance.Wellness Incentives And The High Cost of Healthcare Essay

On the other hand, organisational and workplace wellness programs aims at promoting healthy behavioural patterns and rectifying workers’ poor health behaviours in order to promote the operation and productivity of employees at workplace. Workplace wellness programs may entail myriads of activities such as physical fitness and reduction of smoking tendencies (Juniper, 2013).

Individuals with certain disabilities are often not physically active compared to persons who have not been diagnosed with instances of disabilities. In addition, people with high rates of overweight, depressive episodes and other terminal conditions that happen secondarily or besides the basic disability are also highly likely to be at high risk.

In a similar way to other groups of individuals who are not disabled, persons with disabilities may gain from programs that improve regular health and wellness checks alongside screenings and auxiliary medical enhancements especially when it comes to individual lifestyles, entailing physical fitness and psychological wellbeing.Wellness Incentives And The High Cost of Healthcare Essay

This position paper is indeed a requisite document that can be instrumentally used in a practical workplace wellness program. It can also be embraced to satisfy the needs of people with disabilities. Since this position paper targets workplace wellness programs for workers with disabilities, the term “disability” has been critically used within the present context of the Disabilities Act which was adopted in the United States way back in 1990.

Although this Act has gone through a number of amendments, the definition of disability is still the same. The primary description of the term ‘disability’ refers to either a physical or mental complication that remarkably impedes one or multiple core activities in the life of an individual. In contrast, the term ‘employee’ refers to a person hired by an employer in order to perform specifically defined roles.

In regards to ‘workplace wellness programs’, they comprise of several activities that are either partially or fully sponsored by an employer in order to enhance good health of the workforce. In some cases, they are described as corporate wellness programs especially if a corporation plays the role of an employer. Health promotion programs can also be used to describe wellness programs at workplace.Wellness Incentives And The High Cost of Healthcare Essay
Governments and medical organizations across the globe support the execution of a comprehensive package of wellness initiatives in all workplaces (Lee, Blake & Lloyd, 2010). This is the same position taken by this paper. The latter projects may offer crucial ways of identifying and solving the rising rate of terminal illnesses, sedentary behaviour and overweight.

Successful programs will rapidly commit employees in operations that optimize their individual health and well being. It can also assist them to develop quickly as part of responding to their assumed value. Workers can equally experience sustainable growth in the presence of wellness programs at workplace.Wellness Incentives And The High Cost of Healthcare Essay

As much as such programs may differ, a comprehensive program ought to comprise a number of measures that ensure employees are well taken care of while at work. For instance, cardiovascular disease prevention, weight management, nutrition, education, stress management, physical activity, as well as tobacco cessation/prevention should be included at all workplaces so that vulnerable individuals (such as disabled people) can benefit from the program.

As a matter of fact, a workforce that is terminally-ill cannot be productive as anticipated. Irrespective of the interventions put in place, an evaluation of readiness to undertake change should be evident. Both the external and internal workplace needs ought to be addressed by the adopted programs. In other words, distinguishing differences such as intellectual capacity, ethnicity, age, and gender among workers  Wellness Incentives And The High Cost of Healthcare Essay

uld not be used to discriminate workers at any given time. Moreover, such programs ought to entail adequate adjustment of the workplace so that it can be possible to enhance wellness through rigorous decision making and healthy behaviours among employers and employees.

Scope
For this position paper, a broad scan of the existing body of literature on the subject has been carried out. In order to capture the objectives of the paper, the essay has narrowed down to focus on people diagnosed with disabilities. The study may have not been comprehensive without addressing a number of research questions within the position paper.Wellness Incentives And The High Cost of Healthcare Essay

For instance, the paper explores the responsibilities of employers in encouraging both the productivity and healthy wellbeing of employees with disabilities (Zula, Yarrish, Karen, & Lee, 2013). The methodology and rationale for developing workplace wellness programs and the aspects included in workplace wellness initiatives are also part and parcel of the scope of this paper.
We may also be interested to question the extent to which employers strive to enhance a healthy wellbeing of disabled employees especially when it comes to issues such as autonomy, occupational advancement, employee benefits, regular salary increases and professional development.Wellness Incentives And The High Cost of Healthcare Essay

In addition, the position paper hints at strategies that employers can deploy to develop wellness programs which can be accessed by disabled people. The unique features of employers who offer accessible or generally designed initiatives are crucial in this position paper. The outstanding elements of wellness initiatives that have improved the overall wellbeing of employees are also pertinent in this discussion.

The scope of this position paper also entails in-depth research involving published peer‐reviewed journal articles that date back to 2008. These empirical journal articles provide important insights into the study of wellbeing at workplace for employees with disabilities.Wellness Incentives And The High Cost of Healthcare Essay

Background
Wellness programs are embraced at various workplaces across the globe with the aim of attempting to promote a healthy well‐being of workers (Goetzel, Ozminkowski, Bowen, & Tabrizi, 2008). As much as the overarching function of workplace wellness programs is to offer a gainful outcome on investment by minimising cases of absenteeism and reducing insurance premiums paid to cover health priorities, the prime merit has been the development of healthier employees that transforms into a healthy population.Wellness Incentives And The High Cost of Healthcare Essay

Unfortunately, only a few employees has realised the benefits of the latter regardless of the immense performance of the merger. In particular, the requirements of workers with disabilities are yet to be discussed or catered for in most workplace wellness programs. Hence, this paper focuses on the limit at which workplace wellness programs may be instituted and embraced by both corporate and business organizations.

Better still, workplace wellness programs can still be universally designed to match the needs of individuals diagnosed with one or more forms of disabilities. This can be a strategy to improve the selection, hiring and retention of individuals with disabilities within a given workforce. It may also enhance the return to work for employees who have already encountered latest onset of disabilities.Wellness Incentives And The High Cost of Healthcare Essay

The issue of disability has indeed been discussed for a long time even though the desire to deal with the challenge is still a clarion call. Nonetheless, it took quite long before the World Health Organisation amended it categorisation of disability as a unique system on its own.

The amendments equally embrace complex interactions with the surrounding and it can also be appreciated as a substantial impact to the health and wellbeing of people with disabilities. This latest categorisation for disability indeed illuminates the deeper underlying pertinent factors that employers ought to address while working with employees who are disabled in one way or another.Wellness Incentives And The High Cost of Healthcare Essay

Although the definition of disability according to the above context is purely related to work, it is crucial to mention that most jurisdictions are interested in a healthy wellbeing of all citizens regardless of their employment status. For people with disabilities, the importance of wellness programs at workplace cannot be overemphasized. Even in cases whereby organizations are either not willing or are unable to offer the much-needed wellness programs to disabled persons, there are still laws and policy regulations in place that can compel employers to act appropriately.Wellness Incentives And The High Cost of Healthcare Essay

Past empirical and qualitative studies on workplace wellness have unanimously concluded the desire to enhance improved health outcomes among employees who are disabled. However, the approach assumed should be proactive enough. These include rewards/incentives, effective services and education through capacity building and training.

The measures put in place as part of the wellness program are supposed to be as varied and effective as possible. As it stands now, business organizations and corporate bodies are boosting their understanding and application of health to comprise a wider sense of psychological wellness with intense focus to prevent health-related challenges.Wellness Incentives And The High Cost of Healthcare Essay

Securing additional time and financial resources to promote the health of employees is not a recent undertaking or initiative among employers. Some three decades ago, the establishment of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act took place. It stipulated minimum guidelines for several voluntarily incepted pension and health schemes within the private sector.

The main goal of establishing this piece of legislation was to offer protection for people covered with the aforementioned plan. Besides, some employers have already been providing wellness programs and health‐related services for their respective workers. The only recent development is that the medical community took the centre stage and a lading role in health promotion programs as an approach to avoid or postpone the beginning of some terminal conditions.Wellness Incentives And The High Cost of Healthcare Essay

As it stands now, communities of individuals who suffer from various cases of disabilities inform the medical fraternity and workplace wellness program sector that people with disabilities may indeed postpone or completely avoid chronic complications by taking part in wellness programs (Gonzales, 2010).

Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) also comes in handy in this discussion. Corporations initially started assisting workers with health‐related cases like mental health and alcoholism before the beginning of the start of 1960s (von Schrader, Malzer, & Bruyère, 2014). The programs were largely peer‐led and they also marked the earlier versions and self-driven initiatives for Employee Assistance Programs.Wellness Incentives And The High Cost of Healthcare Essay

It is interesting to note that the earlier wellness programs among employees with disabilities gained a lot of popularity and consequently left indelible marks in this industry. Needles to say, the form and structure of workplace wellness programs being witnessed today were largely borrowed from the mid decades of the 20th century.Wellness Incentives And The High Cost of Healthcare Essay

Over the years, the Employee Assistance Programs have massively transformed into remarkable gains for workers since they do not merely discuss injury prevention, risk management and substance abuse. They equally address broader aspects like domestic violence, legal problems, family matters, and care for the older people among others.

Currently, EAPs are a core employer‐based gain which assists several workers to remain productive effective at workforce. Organisational and workplace wellness programs initially surfaced in the literature during the early years of 1980s (Gowrisankaran et al., 2013).Wellness Incentives And The High Cost of Healthcare Essay

Since then, a lot of quantitative work has been carried out to reaffirm the merits of health promotion programs. One of the core gains of wellness programs (and also swift to measure) is lowering the frequency of absenteeism as will be explored later in this position paper.

Evidence: Support for the position taken
In spite of the methodological setbacks like information from a single source, lack of control and self‐reported information, there are myriads of readily accessible studies which conclude that workplace health promotion programs may enhance employees’ health and productivity.

Baicker, Cutler and Song (2010) explain the features of effective programs, comprising their capability to evaluate the requirements for services, attract key players, utilize behavioural theory as the cornerstone of the studies, integrating several ways of reaching people, and instituting efforts to weigh the effects of the program adopted.Wellness Incentives And The High Cost of Healthcare Essay

Promising practices have also been observed across multiple organisations. For example, senior management support systems have been deeply ingrained in most of the wellness programs in contemporary organisations.

Current evidence reveals that close to 90 major companies in the United States have already employed at least some type of wellness programs at their workplaces (Call, Gerdes, & Robinson, 2009). On the contrary, only less than 20 percent of organisation located outside the US offer wellness programs in their operations.

Moreover, each organisation or a corporate body offers a unique wellness program according to nature of operations in place. These assertions coincide with the position that was earlier taken in the paper. In any case, we may not expect wellness programs for employees with disabilities to be the same across all geographical regions and company profiles.Wellness Incentives And The High Cost of Healthcare Essay

For some organisations, external consultants are hired to provide professional wellness programs that suit the needs of various classes of workers including those who are disabled. There are numerous examples and proofs of how wellness programs have been successfully applied by leading organisations as analyzed below.

To begin with, the C. Everett Koop National Health Award pointed out several winners who were identified as exemplary implementers of workplace wellness programs with clear focus to disabled people. The award assesses programs on a yearly basis with the assistance of experts.

The programs targeted include those attached to other organisations, government agencies, insurance companies, health provider groups and immediate communities. In 2008, a number of organisations scooped top prizes under this award scheme (Call et al., 2009).Wellness Incentives And The High Cost of Healthcare Essay

For instance, Dow Chemical Company initiated a program to reduce instances of overweight. Some of the measures that were put in place comprised the provision of healthy food options in company‐sponsored meetings, cafeterias and vending machines. Besides, the company guided workers on how to manage their roles and lifestyle activities on a daily basis.

Specific messages aimed at encouraging a healthy eating diet were circulated all over the workplace within the organisation. The recognition programs that the company opted to reduce at workplace also played a major role in the wellness program (Call et al., 2009).

It is also vital to mention that the company instituted other intervention measures such as capacity building and training for employees, setting up workplace health improvement objectives and strategic positioning of leaders in the sense that even the disabled employees were granted leadership roles in various capacities. Since the program was being monitored, recorded and analyzed by experts, the outcomes were ready after a period of one year.Wellness Incentives And The High Cost of Healthcare Essay

Some of the key and visible benefits realized after the given period included:

Reduced instances of tobacco intake
Lower rates of employee absenteeism
Improved blood pressure levels
Favourable weight gain/loss among workers
The above initiative was dubbed ‘Lighten Up Program’ (Call at al., 2009). From the program outcomes, it was evident that organisations can indeed play a superb role in improving the wellbeing of employees. Above all, the program was evidence‐based, comprehensive and well developed. The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute play a crucial role in this initiative since it provides fiscal assistance to finance the project.

Another typical example of a successful wellness program for employees has been witnessed in the Energy Corporation of America (ECA). The Platinum Wellness Program has been a major success for the organisation. Although it is a small organisation (with less than 600 employees), it has created an impressive, comprehensive, well‐incorporated and strategically executed wellness initiative.Wellness Incentives And The High Cost of Healthcare Essay

The existing initiative is controlled by both theory and evidence‐based practices. In spite of the fact that it is a small employer, the organisation has recruited two full‐time members of staff to manage its wellness project for employees. Nurse planning programs with each participating worker takes place annually, and spouses are entitled to take part.

Yearly consultations with medical experts also seek to solve various health risks that emerge on a regular basis. Some of the risks include such as tobacco use, nutrition, activity and weight loss.Moreover, learning sessions are held for health guidance and prevention of terminal illnesses. EAC also offers round the clock assistive services. The company has already attained or gone beyond the required 6 out of the 8 goals of “Healthy People 2010” objectives.

Current statistical proofs indicate that EAC has attained a 26 % tobacco quit rate. The high‐risk population has equally been diminishing by an average of 1.4 % per annum over the last half a decade. Medical costs have stagnated for a period of 6 years.Wellness Incentives And The High Cost of Healthcare Essay

These are clear and irreproachable pieces of evidences that qualify the noble role played by wellness programs in organisations. Other organisations that have implemented wellness programs and evidence-based practices include the International Business Machine (IBM), Lincoln Industries, Pepsi Bottling Group, and Wisconsin Energy Corporation.

Discussion
Besides offering substantial economic gains, employment provides individuals with disabilities vital social advantages like self worth, personal achievement, activity, involvement, social contacts and support as well as social identity and status. Nevertheless, owing to personal, emotional, and mental disadvantages, only 40 percent of disabled persons secure jobs.Wellness Incentives And The High Cost of Healthcare Essay

About 22.3 million (12.8 percent) of people within the employable age bracket have reported some kind of disability in the US. The age bracket in this report ranged between 21 and 64 and equally represented about 12.8 %. Within this category, 37 % had secured job opportunities. On the other hand, 80 % of those working were made up of people without any form of disabilities.

These are major disparities that have replicated themselves in the wellness programs offered by organisations at workplace. The socio-economic and health status of most disabled people are also deplorable. Unless affirmative action is put in place within organisations, this segment of the population might continue to face innumerable challenges in the face of humanity (Horwitz, Kelly, & DiNardo, 2013).Wellness Incentives And The High Cost of Healthcare Essay

Wellness programs for workers with disabilities have a broad spectrum that requires thoughtful considerations by organisational managers and leaders. Factors affecting wellness for employees have been summarised in the chart below:

Wellness for disabled workers
As already hinted out, there are three main wellness programs that can be directed towards persons with disabilities. These include community-based wellness programs, government wellness programs and workplace wellness programs. However, this discussion restricts itself to the wellness program offered by employers at the place of work.Wellness Incentives And The High Cost of Healthcare Essay

Well-established organisations have recently begun contemplating how to adjust their wellness initiatives in order to offer fair access and accommodations to disabled individuals. Return On investment (ROI) is apparently the main rationale behind most wellness initiatives in organisations.

Organisational managers should make sure that any amendments they make adhere to the regulations in place and equally delivers a positive Return On Investment. Any wellness program for disabled employees in organisations should begin by a ‘litmus test’ to assess whether it is compatible with the needs of disabled workers.Wellness Incentives And The High Cost of Healthcare Essay

The values, norms, guidelines and cultures of an organisation strongly determine the employability of a disabled person. It is highly recommended for organisations to develop corporate cultures that are in tandem with the inherent needs of workers.

The same cultures should also be reflected in the adopted wellness programs. This implies that wellness programs for disabled employees should be free of any attitudinal and physical barriers if they are to reap the same benefits as workers who are not disabled (Gabel et al., 2009).

Conclusion
To recap it all, workplace wellness programs are indeed beneficial to both workers and employers in organisations owing to its cost‐effective nature. Of crucial importance in this position paper is the linkage between workplace wellness programs and disability management initiatives in organisations.Wellness Incentives And The High Cost of Healthcare Essay

From the above analyses and discussion, there are broad benefits of workplace wellness programs as evidenced in a number of organisations. For example, Return On Investment (ROI) coupled with enhanced productivity of employees are realised in organisations that practice wellness programs. Nevertheless, organisational managers should be keen and articulate enough when developing wellness programs that target the disabled employees. Wellness Incentives And The High Cost of Healthcare Essay