Employers and employees have mixed feelings about wellness screenings.
The benefits for employees
• Screenings are often company subsidized, reducing the cost to the employee
• Participation may also result in a monthly reduction in the cost of medical insurance
• If health is not optimal, health insurance and health management programs may be available through the company
• A screening may identify a serious, previously undetected condition
• The sooner you improve your health, the better
The concerns employees have
• Fear of bloodwork and/or doctors
• Too many on-the-job pressures to take follow-up recommendations seriously—for example, a stress management program
• Long hours at work and no immediate reward discourage participation in follow-up programs
• The cost of medication to treat conditions uncovered by screenings may not be covered
• Worry that health screenings are simply a way for employers to group high-risk employees in a more expensive medical insurance bracket
The benefits for employers
• Screenings may pinpoint where a company can take immediate action to improve employee health like instituting a smoke-free campus policy along with a smoking-cessation program or revamping the food choices in the company cafeteria to include healthy choices and nutrition information along with a weight-management program
• Screenings can successfully catch “silent” conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes before an employee gets really sick
The drawbacks for employers
• Yearly screenings may include tests that normally wouldn’t be done yearly, at a cost to the company
• Screenings alone will not improve employee health, reduce absenteeism, or reduce health care claims
• Few companies have the tools right now to measure the effectiveness of these programs but time may tell
You decide: will wellness screenings before retirement help you move closer to your goals or not?
Make the best of your life for the rest of your life as you prepare for retirement with Retirement Lifestyle Strategies coaching and resources from Dee Cascio.