Health Insurance Daily

Health Risk Assessments Reduce Medical Bills

Wellness programs and health risk assessments can reduce individual health care costs by hundreds of dollars per year, according to a new study from Thomson Medstat, which does consulting and auditing for employers.

Medical costs were between $101 and $648 less per year for Medicare recipients who participated in an employer-sponsored wellness program and used a health risk assessment, Thomson Medstat finds.

“Strategic health care interventions can improve senior citizens’ health and reduce health care costs,” says Ron Ozminkowski, director of health and productivity research at Thomson Medstat.

The study, published in the November issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, examined the health care costs associated with wellness programs offered to 59,324 retirees and their aged dependants. Researchers assessed the participants’ use of health care services from 1996 through 2002.

Information provided by BenefitNews, November 21, 2006

posted by Mike @ 2:30 AM