In recent years, employers have increasingly introduced “wellness” programs to their benefits for a variety of reasons, but primarily to address rising health insurance costs. Numerous studies have shown a direct link between avoidable, preventable risks such as obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease and smoking and higher health care costs and lost days. The concept of wellness, however, is very broad and can cover a wide range of services with a corresponding wide range of costs.

At William Gallagher Associates, we view wellness under the more comprehensive concept of what we call "Engage in Health" which includes plans that get your population healthier to not only address health insurance costs, but productivity, sick leave, FMLA, short-term disability and overall job satisfaction, among other benefits.

In addition, because of our property and casualty experience, we leverage our internal workers compensation expertise to also take those costs into consideration. We address more issues because a healthy population can help with more than just health insurance costs. We address every possible lever that you could turn to change behavior:

Our team works with clients using proven methods to understand their current situation by reviewing claims, discussing their culture and understanding any barriers that may exist. We then develop a long-term strategy and business plan to meet their needs, frequently with tight budgets. Each client’s strategy is unique to them. We work with existing vendors or contract with an organization that specializes in population health improvement to provide the services that will have the greatest impact with the available budget. We are then part of a team dedicated to the long-term goal of a healthier population.

Healthcare and Wellness Market Survey

WGA has conducted a Healthcare and Wellness Market Survey over the past couples years focused on corporate wellness and strategies that are addressing the rising health care costs. The survey results offer insight into the practices and plans of middle market employers ranging in size from 50 to 5,000 employees. The findings show that more companies are considering the importance of these initiatives and see the benefits of investment into the health of their employees.

WGA Releases Results of 2012 Health & Corporate Wellness Survey
2012 WGA Health & Wellness Survey
2011 WGA Health & Wellness Survey