New Center for Excellence issue brief: The Business Case For Wellness Programs In Public Employee Health Plans

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new issue brief from the Center for State and Local Government Excellence, The Business Case for Wellness Programs in Public Employee Health Plans, examines the growth of wellness plans and documents the health and financial benefits they have produced.

Written by Robert L. Clark and Melinda Sandler Morrill, North Carolina State University, the brief's key findings include:

• The evidence indicates that wellness programs are successful in improving the health status of employees and in slowing health care costs.
• Financial incentives encourage employees and retirees to change behaviors.
• Few governments or agencies have conducted systematic assessments of plans.
• Retirees can benefit from wellness programs, but may require additional considerations.
• Wellness programs likely will yield higher dividends to public employers to private employers due to the longer career pattern of public employees.

Read the full brief at http://slge.org/publications/the-business-case-for-wellness-programs-in-public-employee-health-plans.

Access all Center health care research at http://slge.org/research/health-care.

About the Center for State and Local Government Excellence
The Center for State and Local Government Excellence helps state and local governments become knowledgeable and competitive employers so they can attract and retain a talented and committed workforce. The Center identifies best practices and conducts research on competitive employment practices, workforce development, pensions, retiree health security, and financial planning. The Center also brings state and local leaders together with respected researchers and features the latest demographic data on the aging workforce, research studies, and news on health care, recruitment, and succession planning on its website, www.slge.org.

SOURCE Center for State and Local Government Excellence