The wellness pill, if we only knew

I really don’t know what all the fuss is about over health care costs. Afterall we already know the secret to lower health care costs, improved productivity and peace in the middle east.

All you have to do is give each employee a tee-shirt that reads “I’m for wellness.” Okay, so perhaps a bit more is required; they must complete a health risk assessment or swear on an empty box of fries that they don’t smoke.

These benefits can be extended to Medicare as well. Simple move the senior discount lines a hundred feet further from the door so walking is required. Remove the seats in the senior area of Paneras so us folks have to stand during our morning coffee clutch. Gee, just a little imagination and who needs Ryan to solve the Medicare cost problem?

Oh no, you sense my caustic wit and cynicism when it comes to employers following the lead buffalo over the cliff of wellness programs. First, nobody even knows what a wellness program looks like. It can be anything from a communication campaign to an onsite gym to financial penalties for not participating in whatever the program may be. Wellness programs have been credited with everything from creating improved productivity, a happy workforce, employee loyalty (even in the face of elimination of other benefits) to reducing health care costs in as little as one year. Why don’t they just put it in a pill and give it to everybody … waive the co-pay for participation of course.

What the heck set the curmudgeon off on this again you may ask. In fact, it was this article that caught my eye as I was scanning my morning Google updates. Such glowing objective reporting fascinates me.

Hey doc?

Do you have a wellness program? Yes she said, I do indeed it meets our need you see. See my hat what do you think of that? That hat is fine, better than mine. I use my hat, my big fat hat, when I walk and all of that. That’s neat, you’re complete; problem solved in my view. If I only knew.

Did you ever notice that the wellness “experts” just happen to be running a wellness program company?  How come the CEOs of health insurance companies aren’t experts in health care?