Wellness Programs Said to Hold Down Health Insurance Costs

01/24/2010

A recent study is providing further evidence that employers and consumers can save money on their health insurance costs by taking part in wellness programs.

The recent study was conducted among more than 940,000 adult health insurance patients in South Africa by Discovery Health. Among that population, 62 percent were said to be participants in an incentive and reward-based wellness program.

According to the study results, participants in the wellness programs who were hospitalized for various ailments ended up spending less time under care and also tended to be hospitalized less frequently.

"As researchers, it is critical we evaluate and identify solutions to mitigate this trend. Although more research will need to be done, this study is encouraging as it shows a positive correlation between engagement in health promotion and lower healthcare costs," said Dr. Deepak Patel.

For those who do not have wellness programs immediately available to them, it's still possible to hold down health insurance costs in the long term by getting more focused on following a proper diet and a regular exercise routine.

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