We’ve long known that preventive care actions like receiving an annual physical, getting recommended screenings and practicing healthy lifestyle behaviors can help ward off disease. However, as the rates of chronic conditions in the U.S. continue to rise, new research is shedding light on how critical these behaviors are. In this blog, we explore the state of chronic disease in the U.S., why preventive care and lifestyle modifications should matter to employers, and how you can incorporate preventive care strategies into your well-being program.
The state of chronic disease in the U.S.
The prevalence of chronic conditions in the U.S. is rising. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports three in four American adults have at least one chronic condition and over half have two or more chronic conditions. These conditions include obesity, hypertension, diabetes and cancer, among others.
Chronic conditions don’t just impact people’s longevity and quality of life; they’re also expensive. Ninety percent of the $4.9 trillion in annual healthcare expenditures in the U.S. goes towards people with chronic physical and mental health conditions.1
And many of these diseases are preventable. The CDC estimates 75% of medical costs are attributed to preventable conditions. Employer strategies to promote healthy lifestyle—alongside initiatives for early identification, intervention and preventive care services—can go a long way toward reducing the burden of chronic disease in the workforce.
Preventive care utilization is down in the U.S.
Despite the importance of preventive care and its ability to combat chronic disease, a majority of Americans aren’t getting the preventive care services they need. One study finds more than 90% of Americans have put off getting a check-up or their recommended screenings on time2, and nearly 1 in 5 Americans indicate they do not have a primary care physician.3
What is contributing to the decline in preventive care utilization?
- Lack of awareness. Most large employers’ health care benefits cover preventive care services at 100%, yet many employees remain unaware of this. If they are aware, they may not know exactly how to access preventive care benefits.
- Fear and anxiety. The discovery of a chronic condition may present a number of different challenges, like how to manage the condition and how to receive follow-up care. For some patients, this is a strong deterrent to scheduling a preventive care visit.
- A severe shortage of primary care providers. Many doctors are retiring or leaving for concierge medicine where there are fewer patients and less stress. The supply of new recruits to the field is dwindling as medical students opt for specialty medicine.4 Patients who do have a primary care doctor face longer wait times. Many give up, leading to higher usage of emergency rooms and urgent care clinics.5
- Barriers to access. Social determinants of health such as transportation issues and language barriers make it logistically hard to seek preventive care.6 The ability to take time off from work to attend appointments also plays a role. Aflac finds 36% of respondents have delayed care or skipped appointments because of work.7
- The cost of preventive care. Nearly 27 million people in the United States do not have health care coverage, and over 60% of those without coverage say they are uninsured because coverage is not affordable.8 For those without insurance, paying out of pocket for preventive care is often not an option.
- Healthcare sentiment. Attitudes and healthcare behaviors vary by gender and age. For example, men are significantly less likely than women to seek preventive care services, and they are more likely to report not having a primary care provider.9 Older generations are most likely to consult their primary care provider, while younger generations turn to friends, family and media when they have a health care concern.10
The workplace implications of chronic disease—and why employers need to care.
The large numbers of Americans suffering from chronic conditions have a tangible impact on the workplace. According to a de Beaumont Foundation and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health research poll:
- 75% employees with chronic conditions—such as hypertension, heart disease, diabetes and asthma—need to take time out of work hours to manage their conditions.
- 56% report being less productive at work because of their conditions.
What’s more, 60% percent of employees with chronic conditions have not formally told their employers about their health status.11 This secret struggle to manage a chronic condition might show up as needing to take more breaks, not being able to work at their full capacity, calling in sick or taking more time off. Both absenteeism and presenteeism result, which impacts productivity and team dynamics.
Poor employee well-being is also costly. For every 10,000 workers who struggle or suffer with health, Gallup calculates $20 million in lost opportunity. Globally, poor well-being costs $322 billion in turnover and lost productivity.12
And finally, we must also acknowledge that many employees are caregivers for family members managing chronic conditions. A third of all employees in the U.S. say they have helped family members with their chronic conditions in the past year, and nearly half of those said they frequently needed to do so during working hours.13
The case for preventive care and lifestyle modifications.
There is now consistent and compelling science to support the influence preventive care and lifestyle choices have on health. By promoting preventive care and helping employees access tools and resources to make good lifestyle choices, employers can impact not only the prevalence of disease, but the cost of care as well.
Research shows that people who visit their general practitioner or family physician each year tend to live longer, spend less on medical care over their lifetime and are less likely to require emergency room care.14 15 Moreover, patients who have a “usual source of care” are more likely to receive recommended preventive services such as flu shots, blood pressure screenings, and cancer screenings.16
Lifestyle choices also have a huge impact. Researchers have found approximately 80% of chronic disease and premature death could be prevented by not smoking, being physically active and making healthy food choices.17 Cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke, dementia, and cancer are all influenced by these kinds of lifestyle choices.
The American College of Lifestyle Medicine takes this one step further, noting that six comprehensive lifestyle changes, in particular—healthy eating, physical activity, stress reduction, restorative sleep, positive social connections, and avoiding risky substances—can prevent, treat, or even reverse many chronic diseases.18
How to incorporate preventive care strategies in the workplace.
When employees are supported to better prevent and manage chronic conditions, they feel better, are more productive, miss fewer work days and are more engaged. So what can employers do to encourage greater utilization of preventive care and adopt healthy behaviors to manage and prevent chronic conditions?
Increase awareness of the importance of preventive care.
Work with health plan vendors to share statistics that support the benefits and communicate the value of preventive care. Send out frequent reminders to increase awareness of preventive care benefits, and market them in a way that is personal and relatable to employees. Finally, ensure employees know that most preventive care is fully covered.
Bring preventive care to the office.
Conduct biometric and preventive screenings onsite. This is an effective technique for removing common barriers to care. Many of our clients offer onsite screenings for their employees. Learn how a 15-minute health screening changed this librarian’s life.
Promote lifestyle coaching.
Lifestyle coaches offered through well-being programs can personalize preventive care strategies and give employees the support and encouragement to change behavior and create or maintain healthy habits. Check out Korbey’s story to learn how the power of partnering with a health coach—and focusing on sleep—changed his life.
Equip managers and leaders with training to recognize, respond to, and support employees and caregivers in managing a chronic condition.
Confident, informed managers help normalize these conversations and make it safe for employees to seek necessary care. Encourage leaders to model openness and flexibility. Employee Resource Groups can offer additional peer support and reinforce the effort.
Recognize caregiving responsibilities.
Enhance paid and family leave policies and offer flexible work schedules to care for loved ones and attend doctor appointments.
Urge employees to embed regular preventive care into their schedules and offer flexibility to attend appointments.
An Aflac report finds Americans who book doctor appointments at a specific time of year are twice as likely to get checked.19 Encourage couples to schedule their screenings at the same time as their partners. Ensure employees have the flexibility to schedule appointments during work hours, if necessary.
Offer incentives for receiving preventive care.
Award points that can be redeemed for wellness gear, give a cash incentive, or reduce medical premiums for completing an annual physical.
How a well-being program can impact employee lifestyle behavior changes.
In addition to ensuring employees can take advantage of preventive care and better manage chronic conditions, we must also address lifestyle and behavioral factors that can prevent these conditions from getting worse or developing in the first place. Here is where a well-being program can be immensely helpful, because supporting those who are already struggling isn’t a well-being strategy—it’s damage control.
A well-being program:
- Keeps healthy people healthy.
- Creates mechanisms that enable both individuals and the organization to identify risks and detect disease early to avoid or delay complications.
- Provides resources and education for employees to make informed health care decisions.
- Helps direct employees to the right level and source of care, whether that’s a health coach focused on addressing lifestyle behaviors, a care specialist to help manage a chronic condition or a mental health professional.
We should also not overlook the fact that prevention needs to be woven into the fabric of daily working life—in the form of regular breaks, time for recovery, flexibility, realistic expectations and work-life balance.
The benefits of focusing on prevention and well-being are immense and well-documented:
- Better employee health and well-being and potentially lower healthcare costs
- Reduced absenteeism and presenteeism
- Increased focus and productivity
- Higher engagement
That’s why it’s essential to view preventive healthcare as a performance strategy, not an employee perk.
Let’s reframe preventive care as well-being.
To summarize, preventive healthcare isn’t new. But, given the rising rates of chronic disease and the impact on employees and the workplace, it’s time to reframe it as well-being. It’s critical for employers to continue to raise awareness of the preventive steps employees can take to stay on top of their health. This combined with access to a well-being program that offers support for lifestyle interventions can make an enormous difference in the health of your population, employee engagement, productivity and ultimately the bottom line.
WebMD Health Services helps organizations build evidence-based well-being programs that generate results across engagement, retention and productivity. Request a demo to learn how we can help you invest in a corporate wellness strategy or strengthen the one you already have.
