Kevin Eberly's Blog | Confronting America's Obesity Epidemic

Employers working to better the health of their company faced a recent setback. On April 30 the IRS ruled that most wellness programs cannot be included in minimum healthcare coverage, meaning requiring employees to participate in company-sponsored health programs won’t be as simple as previously thought.

Under the Affordable Care Act, employers are required to offer a minimum benefits coverage for full-time employees, which includes a healthcare package, or pay a steep fine if they choose to forgo providing coverage. The only wellness program that will qualify for the minimum benefits package is smoking cessation programs.

The IRS cited the potential for many wellness programs to be discriminatory, putting sick workers at a disadvantage for lower premiums, as the reason for excluding wellness programs from the minimum benefits package.

It’s an unfortunate ruling considering more than two-thirds of adults in the U.S. are overweight or obese, which, like smoking, is a condition that needs to managed over time and is costing employers thousands of dollars per year.

Managing obesity requires a strong support system, and organized wellness programs provide that. It takes time, dedication, and motivation, which, especially when in the form of cash, can be very effective.

Although I am disappointed with the ruling, it does not mean wellness has no place in the office.

It’s worth the investment to provide wellness programs to your employees—financially and for the success of your company—even if it means just taking a few minutes out of the day to walk around the office and assess the overall health of your workers.

Interact with your employees. Listen to their concerns. Maybe an at-risk individual is scared to make a change in his or her habits. It’s understandable; change isn’t easy. However, listening to your employees can help you determine a wellness program that will attract the most participation. For example, if the majority of your employees say they don’t have the time for wellness, you can consider making a wellness program convenient, potentially making it a part of the workday to encourage higher participation.

Make it a fun part of your company’s culture. Studies show financial incentives encourage healthy behaviors. Consider a little friendly corporate wellness competition. Have employees agree to sign up for a wellness program and offer small rewards at the end of each week for a certain period of time. It can even be as small as $10 gift cards, but the camaraderie and support from the workplace will motivate a larger number of people to participate. The employee that loses the highest percentage of body fat, for example, will receive a larger financial reward.

Educate your employees. An AP-NORC Center survey of 1,011 adults nationwide found about half of people think their weight is healthy despite statistics that show two-thirds of adults in the U.S. are overweight or obese. Consider hosting health seminars as part of on-the-job training and have a wellness program accessible to begin immediately following a lecture. If employees don’t realize they need to make a change, they won’t. You have to bring the issue to the forefront of your employees’ minds.

A recent report projected 44 percent of Americans will be obese by 2030.

F for Fat: Obesity Threatens America's Future 2012

Think it couldn't possibly be that bad? Look at data from 1991; in almost every state less than 10 percent were obese. Now look at the data from 2011; in all 50 states more than 20 percent are obese. 

Here's how the predicted rates of obesity threaten our future:

• there will be 7.9 million new cases of diabetes, compared to 1.9 million new cases in recent years. 
• There could be 6.8 million new cases of chronic heart disease and stroke every year, compared with 1.3 million new cases per year now. 
• Today, obesity-related medical costs are $147 billion to $210 billion (out of total healthcare spending of $2.7 trillion). In the future, add $66 billion more in annual obesity costs.  

The projected rates support a study published earlier this year in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine that found that by 2030, 42 percent of U.S. adults could be obese, adding $550 billion to healthcare costs over that period.

This is a real problem, what can we do today to start fighting it? 

I’m the kind of manager who likes to solve problems. And not just any problems, but those that have significant impact on people’s lives and wellbeing.  It may be why I’ve spent half of my professional life addressing one of the biggest problems facing the country for the last quarter century: obesity.

Why obesity? Obesity has proven to be a problem that is the root cause of so many other problems that are putting the health of the United States (literally) in jeopardy. Here are some facts that we’ve probably all read at one point or another, but they bear repeating because we have reached a point where none of us can afford (literally) to ignore them:

PROBLEM: Healthcare costs make up close to 20 percent of the national GDP, and 75 percent of healthcare costs are related to the diagnosis and treatment of preventable diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension. The underlying cause of these diseases: obesity.

PROBLEM: Companies in the U.S. have faced staggering increases in healthcare costs, experiencing on average 12 percent in insurance premium rate hikes per year. The cost increases create severe challenges for companies to stay competitive in the global economy. What is cited as the reason for an estimated annual $73 billion in medical and lost productivity costs? Obesity.

PROBLEM: More than one-third of Americans can’t go a day without taking a medication to control a chronic condition, can’t walk without pain, can’t sleep without risking apnea, and can’t perform some of the most basic activities that enrich life’s experiences. What’s the cause? Obesity. And that number amounts to more than two-thirds of the population if we include people who are categorized as overweight.

In light of these statistics, which seem to keep going in the wrong direction, there must be a clear-cut solution, right? If only! But, being a problem solver at heart, I rely on hard data and facts to point me in the right direction. The statistics tell me that physicians hold the key to reversing these alarming trends. It’s the reason I am confident the physician-directed, non-surgical weight loss approach based on evidence will be the proven method for effectively managing long-term health and preventing obesity in those who currently are not affected.

The Center for Medical Weight Loss has been ahead of its time, with its participating physicians having successfully treated thousands of patients for the better part of the last decade. But it’s only recently that third parties have started to subscribe to its approach. These include:

• In January 2012 The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced coverage for physician-directed behavioral counselling for obese patients (those with a BMI of 30 or higher). Private insurers quickly followed suit.
• In May 2012 the US Preventive Service Task Force endorsed physician behavioral counselling for obesity.
• In June 2012, The American Journal of Medicine published a major study of Center for Medical Weight Loss physician-directed results, reporting clinical outcomes of an average 26 pounds lost, or 11.1 percent of total body weight lost, in 12 weeks among obese and overweight patients. 

And this is just the beginning. While we don’t purport to have all of the answers, we are confident we are onto something. But there are still much work to do and many complex issues to explore. That is why I invite you to join in the conversation and lend your voice to what you believe are sustainable solutions to effectively addressing the clinical condition of obesity. Starting today, I’ll be posting new research and commentary. I look forward to hearing from you!