Annual Healthcare Costs Average $51,000 Per Person
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn., Feb. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The number of
obesity-related disability claims are on the rise, according to a recent
report by UnumProvident Corporation (NYSE: UNM), the nation's largest provider
of disability income protection insurance. Further, individuals filing claims
related to obesity have significantly higher medical costs, averaging more
than $51,000 per claimant per year.
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Short-term disability claims attributed to obesity have increased tenfold
over the past decade, based on research using UnumProvident's disability
database -- the largest such private database in the world. Obesity accounts
for nearly 4,000 of UnumProvident's annual short-term disability claims, and
is often present as a co-morbidity factor in long term disability claims.
"The prevalence of obesity in the U.S. has increased 74 percent since
1991,(1) and this increased incidence of obesity has had an impact in the
workplace," said Robert Anfield, MD, vice president and medical director for
UnumProvident.
Obesity Impact
Direct healthcare costs attributable to obesity are now estimated to be
$70 billion, roughly seven percent of total U.S. healthcare costs.(2)
Employers lose more than $12 billion per year due to the consequences of
obesity including increased healthcare utilization, lower productivity,
increased absenteeism and elevated health and disability premiums.(3)
According to the UnumProvident study, obesity-related disabilities cost
employers an average of $8,720 per employee every year. The average annual
direct medical cost associated with obesity alone is approximately 3.5 times
the annual disability cost of $30,567. Direct costs combined with co-morbid
medical costs, where obesity is a contributing factor, lead to a total
healthcare cost average of $51,023 per claimant per year.
Worksite Strategies for Prevention and Management of Obesity
Obesity is a growing epidemic in the U.S. There are many factors that may
contribute to its development, including genetics, metabolic makeup, eating
habits, lifestyle and medication use. Although obesity is rarely curable, it
can be effectively treated. Even a relatively small reduction in weight can
reap significant benefits; a five-to-10 percent weight loss can reduce
associated health risks.(4) Unfortunately, while half the patients seen by
primary care physicians would benefit from weight management, such treatment
is not routinely offered.(5)
According to Dr. Anfield, worksite programs can augment public health
approaches for the prevention and treatment of obesity as large numbers of
people can be reached at relatively low cost. Successful programs typically
require shared worker-management participation and accountability for planning
and implementation, consultation on work-site changes and targeting health
behavior change.(6) Interactive interventions requiring the participant's
longer commitment (e.g., personal health risk assessment tools, nutrition
counseling, personal physical activity programs, custom websites, professional
hotlines, etc.) are more effective than passive or onetime activities (e.g.,
pamphlets, newsletters, health fairs).(7)
Through its Comparative Reporting & Analysis (CR&A) services, provided to
the company's disability income protection customers with 150 or more
employees, UnumProvident helps customers in managing workplace absence by
comparing incidence of a specific type of disability claim (such as obesity
and medical conditions associated with obesity) with an incidence benchmark
from UnumProvident's disability database -- the largest disability database in
the world. UnumProvident then offers worksite health promotion and disease
prevention solutions.
"This information can help employers better understand the reasons for and
impact of lost time on operations," said Sandra Sincero, vice president of
Customer Reporting Services for UnumProvident. "The data offers employers real
insight into employee benefits usage, which they can use to help overcome
productivity challenges. Ultimately this information can lead to better
bottom-line outcomes, as well as help an employer better respond to employee
needs."
According to Sincero, companies are also seeing how employee assistance
programs and work/life balance programs can be an effective portal to
community-based weight management programs. More employers are providing
access to work/life balance programs as a service bundled with their
disability income protection coverage. These services, says Sincero, are very
helpful in providing information on resources and tools to make smarter
lifestyle choices.
(1) National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.
Obesity trends; 1991 - 2001 prevalence of obesity among US adults by
state. Atlanta: US Department of Health and Human Services, Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention; 2003.
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/trend/prev_reg.htm
(2) Proactive Analytic Services Report, Disability Management - Obesity,
UnumProvident Corporation, 2004.
(3) Washington Business Group on Health launches institute to address
obesity's enormous toll on corporate America; obesity epidemic costs
organizations more than $12 billion annually. Washington, DC:
Washington Business Group on Health June 17, 2003; Press Release.
(4) Gans K, Rosett J, Eaton C. Treating and preventing obesity through
diet: practical approaches for family physicians. Clin Fam Pract
2002;4:391.
(5) Sciamanna CN, Tate DF, Lang W, et al. Who reports receiving advice to
lose weight? Results from a multistate survey. Arch Intern Med
2000;160(suppl 2):2234-9.
(6) Sherwood N, Story M. Obesity: a public health perspective. Clin Fam
Pract 2002;4:469.
(7) Ibid.
About UnumProvident Corporation UnumProvident (UNM) is the largest provider of group and individual
disability income protection insurance in North America.* Through its
subsidiaries, UnumProvident Corporation insures more than 25 million people
and paid $4.8 billion in total benefits to customers in 2003. With primary
offices in Chattanooga, Tenn., and Portland, Maine, the company employs more
than 13,000 people worldwide. For more information,
visit www.unumprovident.com .
UnumProvident is the brand name of UnumProvident Corporation's insuring
subsidiaries.
UnumProvident represents the multiple insuring subsidiaries of
UnumProvident Corporation, including the # 1 group and individual income
protection carriers in the United States, according to the JHA 2002 U.S. Group
and Individual Disability In-Force Surveys, 2003.
SOURCE UnumProvident Corporation
-0- 02/17/2004
/CONTACT: Pamela S. Smith of UnumProvident Corporation, +1-423-294-7021,
or pssmithPR@unumprovident.com/
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(UNM)
CO: UnumProvident Corporation
ST: Tennessee
IN: FIN INS
SU: SVY
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