Health and Wellness News

Employers Report Increased Use and Effectiveness of Health Incentives

3/28/2013 A pair of surveys indicate that employers are increasingly turning to incentives to drive health programs and get employees to take actions to improve their well being.

Eighty-three percent of 800 large and mid-size American employers — representing more than 7 million workers — now use some form of incentive to get employees more aware of their health status, a consulting firm finds.

To encourage workers to take actions such as filling out a health risk questionnaire or participating in biometric screening, the majority of employers use both carrots and sticks. Out of the 83% that uses incentives, 79% offer rewards, 5% offer consequences and 16% offer a mix of both. In terms of dollar amounts, 64% use monetary incentives of between $50 and $500, and 18% use incentives of more than $500.

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