Workplace Wellness Policy Brief Divya Padgaonkar The College of New Jersey Dr.

Gazley

To: ary !. "#Dowd$ Co%%issioner of &he Depar&%en& of 'eal&h for &he (&a&e of New Jersey )ro%: Divya Padgaonkar Da&e: "c&o*er +,$ -,.

/e: Workplace Wellness Policies 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 The Problem. The c1rren& de*a&es regarding heal&h refor% has pri%arily foc1sed on increasing access &o care *y providing afforda*le heal&h ins1rance. 2nd$ while &his is an iss1e &ha& needs &o *e addressed$ li&&le a&&en&ion has *een given &o &he need &o i%prove &he heal&h of &he na&ion as a priori&y and s&ra&egy &o decrease heal&h care cos&s. 'eal&h care has *eco%e one of &he &op iss1es concerning 2%ericans 34aiser fa%ily )o1nda&ion +-,+5. (pending on heal&h care in &he 6.(. has acco1n&ed for ,78 of &he Gross Do%es&ic Prod1c& and %os& of &ha& spending is foc1sed on &rea&ing chronic illness 3Poisal e& al. +--95. (1ch illnesses p1& a s&rain on o1r heal&h care sys&e%$ econo%y and socie&y in general$ for individ1als who e:perience &he% genera&e %ore cos&s &o &he na&ion. "ver &he pas& &wo decades$ %1ch of &he grow&h in heal&h care spending has *een a&&ri*1&ed &o &he worsening lifes&yle ha*i&s of 2%ericans &ha& lead &o chronic diseases. The Cen&er for Disease Con&rol and Preven&ion 3CDC5 has iden&ified *ehaviors s1ch as inac&ivi&y$ poor n1&ri&ion$ &o*acco 1se$ and fre;1en& alcohol cons1%p&ion as &he pri%ary ca1ses of chronic disease in &he 6.(. 2s a res1l&$ we can see heal&h care cos&s in &he 6.(. rise dra%a&ically *eca1se &he heal&h care delivery sys&e% conse;1en&ly places %ore e%phasis on treating &hese e:pensive diseases ra&her &han preventing &he% ini&ially. <n order for &he 6.(. &o progress pas& &hese heal&h care de*a&es$ %ore a&&en&ion %1s& *e direc&ed &oward heal&h pro%o&ion and disease preven&ion as a par& of a co%prehensive s&ra&egy for i%proving na&ional heal&h and red1cing social and financial *1rdens *ro1gh& on *y preven&a*le illnesses. Background: Workplace Wellness Programs. Tho1gh &he po&en&ial for achieving large=scale heal&h and econo%ic i%pac& &hro1gh preven&ive care for &he working=age pop1la&ion is 1ndenia*le$ &he role of e%ployers in i%proving p1*lic heal&h has received %ini%al a&&en&ion in disc1ssions of heal&h care refor%. <& is *eco%ing %ore and %ore eviden&$ however$ &ha& poor e%ployee heal&h no& only increases 1&iliza&ion of e%ployer sponsored

heal&h care services *1& co%pro%ises e%ployee perfor%ance &hro1gh s1*=op&i%al prod1c&ivi&y and a*sen&eeis%. 2s a response$ so%e organiza&ions *egan &o individ1ally inves& in co%prehensive$ %1l&i= co%ponen&s heal&h pro%o&ion progra%s as a %eans of i%proving &he heal&h and well=*eing of &heir workers$ while increasing prod1c&ivi&y and red1cing *enefi& cos&s 3/2ND +-,.5. !%ployers have fo1nd &ha& &he workplace presen&s an ideal se&&ing for in&rod1cing and %ain&aing heal&h pro%o&ion progra%s for several reasons. The %os& advan&ageo1s of &hese is &ha& e%ployers have access &o individ1als a& an age when heal&h in&erven&ions can significan&ly al&er &heir long=&er% heal&h &ra>ec&ory. (1ccessf1l workplace wellness progra%s have *een a*le &o provide evidence of *o&h hea&h i%prove%en& and risk red1c&ion for e%ployees$ as well as$ cos& savings for e%ployers. 2n early review *y 'eany and Goe&zel e:a%ined ?9 peer reviewed s&1dies over a +- year period and fo1nd &ha& workplace wellness progra%s$ in spi&e of &heir varia*ili&y in in&ensi&y and d1ra&ion$ achieved long=&er% *ehavior change and risk red1c&ion a%ong workers. !val1a&ion of differen& progra%s fo1nd &ha& &he %os& effec&ive were &hose &ha& offered individ1alized risk=red1c&ion co1nseling &o &he highes&=risk e%ployers in which heal&h awareness ini&ia&ives were already 1nderway. (everal li&era&1re reviews weighing evidence fro% e:peri%en&al s&1dy designs also s1gges& progra%s 1sing &ailored co%%1nica&ion and individ1alized co1nseling for high risk individ1als are likely &o res1l& in a posi&ive /"<. Tha& is$ for every @, inves&ed over a &hree year period$ &he /"< ranges fro% @,.?- &o @?.93Goe&zel$ e& al. ,AAA5 While &he po&en&ial for workplace wellness progra%s is eviden& in &he afore%en&ioned s&1dies and res1l&s$ &he 1p&ake in progra%s has *een slow. <& can *e arg1ed &ha& &his is d1e &o &he lack of s&eady govern%en& involve%en& and p1*lic policies &ha& enco1rage i&s 1&iliza&ion. Recommendations. "ne way in which &he govern%en& can play a role in enco1raging workplace wellness progra%s is &hro1gh offering financial incen&ives &o *1siness leaders &o es&a*lish and %ain&ain &he%. 2 proposal p1& for&h *y several legisla&ors s1gges&ed &he govern%en& provide &a: credi&s &o e%ployers &ha&

i%ple%en& heal&h pro%o&ion progra%s a& &he workplace. These &a: credi&s wo1ld par&ially rei%*1rse e%ployers for &he cos&s of &he progra%s. Generally$ *1sinesses and &heir e%ployers prefer &he govern%en& no& in&erfere wi&h &heir in&ernal affairs. They prefer free %arke& forces &o de&er%ine &heir involve%en& and inves&%en&s in progra% ini&ia&ives. "ffering &a: credi&s allows for a co%pro%ise *e&ween govern%en& %anda&e and %arke& forces. )ro% &his perspec&ive$ workplace wellness progra%s *eco%es a wise *1siness inves&%en& which will in &1rn lead &o an increased 1p&ake. Next steps/Implementation. The firs& s&ep in addressing &his policy change wo1ld re;1ire a clear defini&ion of workplace wellness progra%s and defined charac&eris&ics and ac&ivi&ies &ha& wo1ld *e necessary in an e%ployer#s progra% in order &o ;1alify for &he &a: credi& incen&ive. )or e:a%ple$ progra%s %1s& *e consis&en& wi&h evidence=*ased research and *es& prac&ices. Ta: credi& wo1ld *e paid &hro1gh a payroll &a: ref1nd so &ha& all e%ployers who pay wages wo1ld *enefi&. )1r&her%ore$ &o %a:i%ize &he 1se of &his incen&ive &he govern%en& wo1ld do well &o ins&i&1&e an o1&reach progra% &o infor% *1sinesses a*o1& &he oppor&1ni&y. onclusion. 2dop&ion of workplace wellness progra%s *y %ore e%ployers can have a s&rong infl1ence on i%prove &he heal&h of 2%ericans and con&rolling heal&h care spending. 2s %os& working=age ad1l&s spend a significan& por&ion of &heir &i%e in& &heir workplaces$ i& offers an ideal se&&ing for *1ilding awareness of heal&h and lifes&yle iss1es and providing %o&iva&ional s1ppor& for prac&icing and %ain&aining heal&hy *ehaviors.

Work Ci&ed Goe&zel /B$ J1day T/$ "z%inkowski /J. ,AAA. CWha&#s &he /"<D 2 sys&e%a&ic review of re&1rn=on=inves&%en& s&1dies of corpora&e heal&h and prod1c&ivi&y %anage%en& ini&ia&ives.E !W"P#s Worksite "ealth 73.5:,+=+,.

'eaney C2$ Goe&zel /B. ,AA9. C2 review of heal&h=rela&ed o1&co%es of %1l&i=co%ponen& worksi&e heal&h pro%o&ion progra%s.E !merican $ournal o% "ealth Promotion ,,3?5:+A-=.-9. 'enry J. 4aiser )a%ily )o1nda&ion. 'eal&h Care Cos&s$ 2 Pri%er. ay +-,+ odes&

Poisal J2$ Tr1ffer C$ (%i&h ($ e& al. +--9. C'eal&h spending pro>ec&ions &hro1gh +-,7: changes o*sc1re par& DFs i%pac&.E "ealth !%%airs +73+5:+?+=G.. (oeren

a&&ke$ 'angsheng Hi1$ John P. Caloyeras$ Chris&ina I. '1ang$ 4ris&in /. Jan B1s1%$ D%i&ry 4hodyakov$ Jic&oria (hier. +-,.. CWorkplace Wellness Progra%s (&1dy.E /2ND.