Solving Disability with Wellability
The rising demand for new answers to an old problem has finally been met. Business owners are taking strategic steps to increase employee productivity and wellness, drive down the cost of disability, and enhance benefits without raising costs. The approach to disability has now shifted to Wellability.
Wellability is the administrative and financial integration of disability insurance and a Clinical Wellness Plan (CWP). Put simply, it is disability insurance that not only provides financial income replacement, but also includes components to reduce or eliminate risk factors that contribute to disabilities.
Hidden Costs of Disability
Rising disability costs on businesses, coupled with deteriorating health of employees, is a tremendous obstacle for many employers. Wellability was created in response to the overwhelming concern from clients with higher-than-average disability claim frequency and lost productivity associated with these claims. Upon analysis of specific disability claims, health risk factors — such as Body Mass Index (BMI) — were not taken into consideration for the cause of these claims. Ignoring these factors only brings about risk for future claims.
These findings were further influenced by a recent Duke University study that found “a clear linear relationship between Body Mass Index (BMI) and the rate of claims.” Furthermore, the study found that Obesity Class II (40+ BMI) individuals missed more than 11 times the average number of workdays because of injury compared to healthy-weight individuals.
This combination of analyzing claims data and the Duke University study was enough to show risk factors, such as obesity, can have a direct influence on claims. Because of these impacts, integrating disability insurance and Clinical Wellness Programs to make Wellability is a comprehensive solution to the problem. For employers, Wellability creates an opportunity to improve benefits and save money. Wellability gets straight to the source of the problem, solves the costs associated with disability, and promotes healthy and productive employees.
Reversing Risk Factors with Clinical Wellness Plans
Clinical Wellness Plans isolate the very cluster of risks associated with Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) to reduce disability claims, save valuable business dollars, and increase productivity in employees. MetS includes standards and measurements for five risk components: blood pressure, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, and waist circumference. The presence of three or more risk factors that fail the risk standard in one individual constitutes MetS. Research shows that the resence of these multiple risks in one person measurably increased the risk for type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, several types of cancer, and a host of other major illnesses. In order to truly safeguard employees, the reversal of clinical risk factors that lead to diseases is more effective than trying to find ways to pay for the treatment of these diseases.
Clinical Wellness Plans vs. Wellness Plans
A traditional wellness program measures success in terms of either participation or activity. Examples include how many people completed a health-risk assessment, how many people participated in an exercise challenge, or what percentage of the population eats fast food less often. The measurements are almost limitless # but the true impact on health outcomes, associated medical claims, and business productivity is often vague.
A CWP gauges its results based on measured improvements in clinical risk factors rather than tracking activities that could lead to lowered risk factors. In other words, a CWP is more focused on lowering elevated blood pressure, glucose, and cholesterol numbers than if an employee has or has not started eating more vegetables. An effective wellness program is one that slows the production of disease.
Clinical Wellness Plan Offers Proven Results
Validated pre- and post-program laboratory results prove the success rate of the program. The standard measures include HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and weight. In addition to the individual results, the program monitors the presence and reversal of the cluster of risks associated with Metabolic Syndrome.
Covering the Cost of a Clinical Wellness Plan
The clinical results achieved by a CWP are of great interest to disability insurers. Several insurance companies are interested in covering companies with a CWP because the duration of disabilities should decrease, resulting in stable or reduced required disability premium. The cost of the disability program and the CWP are included on the disability bill as either part of the disability insurance premium or as an additional element combined with the disability insurance premium.
Employers looking for way to enhance employee benefits without raising cost find that Wellability is the solution.