Unhealthy choices cost company health care plans billions of dollars

ANN ARBOR-One out of every four dollars employers pay for health care is tied to unhealthy lifestyle choices or conditions like smoking, stress and obesity, despite the fact that most large employers have workplace wellness programs. In the largest study of its kind, researchers from the University of Michigan looked at 10 modifiable health risks in roughly 223,500 people across seven industries, said Michael O'Donnell, first author on the study and director of the - U-M Health Management Research Center at the School of Kinesiology. Modifiable risks are conditions or behaviors that employees can improve or eliminate by making healthier choices. Obesity was most prevalent and cost employers the most money, followed by stress and use of mood-altering drugs. Other risks included seatbelt use, exercise, tobacco and alcohol use, blood pressure and cholesterol. The results illustrate the substantial savings employers might realize by reducing or eliminating those risks through workplace wellness programs, O'Donnell said. "There are hundreds of well-designed programs, but thousands of programs that are too superficial to have an impact," O'Donnell said.