impact on employers
If you’re an employer whose health costs have continued to rise, you’re not
alone. With 65% of Americans overweight and nearly 1-in-3 clinically obese,
employers pay a heavy price in direct health care costs, life and disability
insurance outlays, and reduced productivity:
- $93 billion in direct medical costs
- $3.4 billion annually in sick leave costs
- $2.5 billion annually in obesity-related life insurance spending
- $1.1 billion spent annually on disability insurance spending.
Obesity can actually double an employer’s annual health care costs from an
average outlay of $4,016 for a normal weight employee, to $8,359 for a Grade III
(impact > 40) obese employee. After all, obese people are at greater risk of
developing type-2 diabetes, they suffer more heart attacks and strokes, and are
also more vulnerable to depression, arthritis and certain types of cancer. They
are also less productive than normal weight employees and more prone to
absenteeism.
To estimate the costs your business might incur, use the cost calculator
below: