Wellness programs: they decrease health-care costs for small business, too.

• Position: Indiana SMALL * BUSINESS REFERENCE * GUIDE

Employee wellness programs benefit workers, employers and the bottom line. Wellness programs encourage employees to maintain healthy lifestyles. Wellness programs are designed to meet the needs of each company, no matter the size. Successful wellness programs include:

* Regular health assessments.

* Disease management.

* Health education.

* Preventive screenings.

Health assessments measure an employee's likelihood of developing a disease. Employees who are high-risk can then take steps to manage their risk. Employees with pre-existing conditions can learn how to better manage their disease through health education. Cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes screenings can help employees detect health problems and learn to manage them.

Employers can manage the rising costs of health care through wellness programs. Instead of reacting to the costs of preventable illnesses, employers can be proactive in encouraging their employees to lead healthier lives.

Wellness programs are long-term investments with infinite results. Employers can document their savings in reduced medical costs, reduced absenteeism, reduced workers' compensation costs, reduced short-term disability costs and increased productivity. Undocumented savings include increased morale, company loyalty and a more positive work environment.

Healthy workers are also less likely to be injured on the job. A 2003 study by Liberty Mutual Insurance found that the indirect cost of injuries--including over time, training and lost productivity--account for $3 per every $1 of direct cost. More and more businesses are dealing with the consequences of unhealthy lifestyles:

* Nearly 65 percent of U.S. adults are overweight or obese.

* Overweight and obese people are more likely to develop hypertension, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and stroke.

* Diabetes treatments cost more than $95 billion per year.

* Smoking leads to increased absenteeism, increased health insurance claims and increased workers' compensation claims.

* Employees who smoke cost $1,760 each, per year, in lost productivity.

* Seventy-five percent of health-care dollars are spent on diseases caused by unhealthy lifestyles.

Employers can invest...