October 26, 2010 A recent study published in the October issues of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine has found that obesity costs employers a whopping $73.1 billion annually.

The report assessed medical expenditures, absenteeism and presenteeism--meaning a lack of productivity from those present at work. It found that the per capita costs ranged from $9,507 for normal weight men to $15,561 for obese men with a body mass index of 40 or higher. For women, the costs were higher, from $10,241 for normal weight women to $16,969 for obese women

Braun Consulting News
News on Personnel, Labor Relations and Benefits

In our article "Obesity In The Workplace" written last year we presented a large amount of information about obesity and how it affects individuals and employers alike.

The problem of obesity and obesity in the workplace is punctuated by growth rates of the number of people overweight in this country.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina estimate that 55 percent their 3 million members are overweight and getting heavier, while at the same time nearly one-third of the overweight members described their weight as "just right." 5 percent of obese enrollees also thought that their weight was just fine.

This indicates that the problem will continue to grow worse in part because many people don't even perceive it to be a problem.

However, employers understand the problem and are responding.

New programs like Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina's obesity initiative continue to be launched. In 2003, 58 percent of employers provided at least one such program, compared with 41 percent in 2002, according to a survey on employer-sponsored health plans conducted by Mercer Human Resource Consulting.

There have been a couple of new trends emerging. One is the emergence of benefits packages addressing specific obesity issues, and the other is the increase in the use of drugs and surgery for weight loss. We will take a look at these issues in this update.

Until recently most obesity intervention efforts have been more likely to fall under the umbrella of health improvement initiatives, such as sponsoring fitness programs, on-site fitness centers and programs, or healthier food choices in the cafeteria, etc.

Now we are seeing a shift in which more progressive self-insured employers are interested in covering medical weight-loss programs, as well as benefits packages that show an emphasis on prevention and early intervention.

One example of this shift is  InShapeMD Medical Weight Loss is now offering a benefits package that can qualify members for weight-loss prescriptions.

The "InShapeMD Medical Weight Loss" program is available to all eligible employees. To enroll in the program, employees must score >30 BMI, but also answer questions designed to assess their willingness to revamp their lifestyle, says Jack Silberman, The Weight Loss Firm director.

In addition to the obesity weight-loss prescriptions, the plan will include Blood work, Body fat %, Blood pressure monitoring, weekly weigh-ins, support and accountability, nutritional guidelines, doctor visits annually to discuss obesity issues, along with weight loss success coaching.

The dilemma of this type of program is that with the rising health care costs most employers are going to be hesitant in adding benefits unless they are confident that there is a solid trade-off in terms of lower claims costs later. That is why this program is FREE to the employer and voluntary to the qualifying employees.

The expectations are many and wonderful. The immediate loss of weight will directly affect the lowering of high blood pressure, stabilizing cholesterol, and reversing pre diabetic issues. We are going to see savings on the medical side, and hopefully insurance companies will respond to your efforts to becoming a healthier business.

FAT STATE IS AN INSULT

1.Mississippi (34.4%); 2. Alabama (32.3%); 3. West Virginia* (32.2%); 4. Tennessee (31.9%); 5. Louisiana (31.6%); 6. Kentucky** (31.5%); 7. Oklahoma** (31.4%); 8. South Carolina* (30.9%); 9. Arkansas (30.6%); 10. Michigan* (30.5%); 11. Missouri* (30.3%); 12. Texas** (30.1%); 13. Ohio (29.6%); 14. North Carolina (29.4%); 15. Indiana* (29.1%); 16. Kansas** (29.0%); 17. (tie) Georgia (28.7%); and South Dakota (28.7%); 19. Pennsylvania (28.5%); 20. Iowa (28.1%); 21. (tie) Delaware (28.0%); and North Dakota (28.0%); 23. Illinois** (27.7%); 24. Nebraska (27.6%); 25. Wisconsin (27.4%); 26. Maryland (27.1%); 27. Maine** (26.5%); 28. Washington (26.4%); 29. Florida** (26.1%); 30. (tie) Alaska (25.9%); and Virginia (25.9%); 32. Idaho (25.7%); 33. (tie) New Hampshire (25.6%); and New Mexico (25.6%); 35. (tie) Arizona (25.4%); Oregon (25.4%); and Wyoming (25.4%); 38. Minnesota (25.3%); 39. Nevada (25.0%); 40. California (24.8%); 41. New York (24.7%); 42. Rhode Island** (24.3%); 43. New Jersey (24.1%); 44. Montana (23.8%); 45. Vermont** (23.5%); 46. Utah (23.4%); 47. Hawaii (23.1%); 48. Massachusetts** (22.3%); 49. Connecticut (21.8%); 50. District of Columbia (21.7%); 51. Colorado* (19.8%)