Employee benefits provide workers with the coverage they need to receive medical treatment, but each year, these financial resources tend to be used for specific treatments. And over the last several years, more than 40 percent of employer healthcare spending has been for 20 specific medical conditions, a new study has revealed.
According to the report, which was completed by Truven Health Analytics, employer healthcare costs have increased by about 4 percent between 2006 and 2011. During this time, spending has primarily been for health services treating osteoarthritis, multiple sclerosis, childbirth and surgical procedures.
Bill Marder, senior vice president of the Ann Arbor-Mich.-based analytics firm and author of the study, indicated that unhealthy weight levels has also proven to be an issue.
"Other cost-drivers that show up in these data, such as the obesity epidemic, are creating real challenges for employers as they try to balance the cost/quality equation," said Marder.
In a separate study released by employee assistance provider network ComPsych, hypertension and high cholesterol – two complications that often result from obesity – were among the top-five health issues facing employees today.
