What better way to save healthcare dollars than to help prevent the need for them in the first place? An increasing number of employers are embracing the idea of worksite wellness programs - the American Heart Association (AHA 2010) has recognized more than 1,200 "fit-friendly" companies - to encourage employees to engage in healthy behaviors, thus promoting a reduction in the use of healthcare benefits and, ultimately, lower healthcare costs. Medco's 2009 national study (Medco 2009) on prescription benefit management trends shows that nearly 60 percent of plan sponsors point to wellness programs as the single most important influence on healthcare cost containment over the next 3 to 5 years. While 65 percent of polled organizations engaged in these types of programs in 2008, participation last year rose to 76 percent, and more than half of companies not currently offering a wellness program intends to do so within the next two years.
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