A new survey from the National Business Group on Health and Fidelity Investments examines trends in wellness programs. (NBGH Survey) The survey included responses from 121 mostly large employers, 80% of whom said they offer some wellness or health improvement opportunity to workers. Companies are planning to spend an average of $693 per employee on wellness in 2015, up from $594 in 2014 and just $430 five years ago. The largest companies, those with more than 20,000 employees, spend the most, $878 per worker, while firms with between 5,000 and 20,000 employees spend about $661 per employee. Incentives for participation are common, including gift cards, cash, reduced health insurance premiums or cost-sharing and contributions to a health saving account. Fewer companies, however, are using penalties for not participating. The most common health improvement efforts in 2015 are biometric screenings, which 72% of companies offer, health risk assessments, 70%, and physical activity programs, 54%. Only about 5% of employers use disincentives in connection with these offerings, half of the number that did in 2014. The only wellness effort with significant disincentive use is smoking cessation, where 17% of companies penalize failure to participate. Although substantial incentives may be available to workers, only about 47% earned the full amount they could in 2014, while another 26% earned some of the maximum amount. Employers clearly still have opportunities to improve wellness program design and to find incentives that maximize participation.
