In most companies, everyone pays the same for health insurance no matter your current health status. What message is this sending to the individual employee? No matter what your current health status, we will pay the same amount for you and you will pay the same amount, too. Thus, a healthy, active individual pays the same as an unhealthy, sedentary obese individual. However, their impacts on overall healthcare costs are vastly different. The question becomes, what can I do to encourage my employees to lead healthier, more active lifestyles?

In some respects within the current setup, and quality of life concerns excluded, the employee has no incentive to be healthier. What do you do?

You can't just outright charge employees more if they are more at risk than others or have made previous claims. You can't single out current conditions that affect healthcare costs. These acts would "out" certain employees and would violate HIPA.

What you can do is build in incentives that encourages people to exercise and reward those who do. The studies are out there telling employers that healthy workers are positive for the bottom line. They show up to work more, are more productive when they are there, and do not contribute as much to the cost of healthcare as the unhealthy employees. More healthcare companies are piloting programs to reward their participants with fitness incentives. They realize that there is a direct correlation and therefore would rather payout a few hundred dollars for a gym reimbursement than thousands of dollars for blood pressure monitoring, medication, and possible surgery.

Over 60% of illness is preventable with proper diet and exercise. If you aren't encouraging your employees to take an interest in their health than you are making a mistake as egregious as bringing your product to market without fully testing its effectiveness. The extra effort will help insure the longstanding success of your product and your company. The same can be said for taking an interest in your employees' health.

It's time to encourage employees to take an interest in their own health. One way to do that is by educating them. Check with your healthcare provider and see what resources may be available to you through your coverage. You may be eligible to have a nutritionist come on site. This is a great opportunity to have a lunch and learn session. Quite possibly, you may choose to have them sit down with senior management to discuss a healthy options strategy to provide snacks to employees. Additionally, you may decide to bring in a fitness instructor or a personal trainer to provide some onsite classes or fitness evaluations. A corporate wellness strategy does come with a cost. However, when planned and executed correctly, these programs will result in a cost reduction. It is worth the investment now to see the profits and savings grow as time goes by.

Before beginning any physical fitness program be sure to visit your primary care physician for medical clearance. Another case for doing your due diligence now for the long term benefits.