Employees say they might take advantage of health and wellness programs if they reduced health insurance premiums, according to a survey.
The Health Confidence Survey found that 44% of employed Americans would be extremely likely or very likely to participate if it reduced their premium by 5%. And half said they would be extremely likely or very likely to participate if it reduced their premium by 10%.
Still, 28% would unlikely participate for a 5% reduction and 21% would be unlikely to participate even with a 10% reduction. And the data suggests that those in poorer health, with chronic conditions, or with at-risk behaviours would be considerably less likely than other workers to participate, even with a 10% reduction in their premium.
Although workers agree that wellness programs can help them develop healthier lifestyles, many do have some reservations about employer motivations for offering such programs. Three-quarters agree employers that offer wellness programs are concerned about their workers. However, 65% also agree that employers are only concerned about their bottom line and 45% believe employers are intruding on worker privacy.
The findings are part of the 10th annual Health Confidence Survey(HCS), co-sponsored by the Employee Benefit Research Institute(EBRI). The survey conducted interviews with 1,000 individuals across the United States.
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