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Employee Benefit News highlights new Optum research which shows “that despite the still struggling economy, wellness program budgets have largely remained stable. In fact, more than one-fifth of employers we surveyed reported spending more than last year. And roughly 40% anticipate that spending will increase during the next three years.”

“Interestingly, employers said they are moving away from rewarding workers simply for signing up for, or even completing a wellness program. Many companies – 43% – are now rewarding for attaining specific health outcomes, such as losing 10 pounds. Additionally, one-third of companies said they would be interested in rewarding for specific outcomes in the future.”

Over half of employers surveyed report that the Affordable Care Act has affected their wellness program incentive strategies as follows:

• 30% increased incentive amounts for tobacco cessation programs
• 23% extended incentives to spouses
• 21% offered higher incentive amounts for programs other than smoking cessation

“While employers have traditionally measured program success by claims reduction, a new trend is emerging. For the first time in the five years we have tracked health management programs, companies of all sizes are determining success by health risk reduction. The fact that health risk reduction has become the leading success metric is important because health risks are linked to lost productivity and increased medical costs.”