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Since education is a critical component of successful voluntary programs, this resource provides an increasing compilation of proprietary and non-proprietary articles. Home / Articles / Employee Benefit News Articles / Employees willing to pay for weight loss Font Size: Employees willing to pay for weight loss by Editorial Staff May 27, 2008 Concern about the nation’s obesity epidemic has spilled into the worksite market, which new research shows might be an excellent way to help harried working Americans shed unwanted pounds. A recent poll of 1,352 people who work for organizations with 50 or more employees indicated a willingness to pay more for a wide range of workplace-based weight-loss options, including exercise programs, nutritional counseling and other means. The research comes courtesy of the Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance and National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago. Christine Ferguson, an associate professor of George Washington University’s Department of Health Policy who directs the alliance, puts the finding in perspective: “I think what it tells us is that people understand the gravity of the situation and desperately want to get some help dealing with it.” A voluntary benefit for weight-loss programs in the workplace could be particularly appealing to self-insured employers in the small and midsize market, adds Jon Gabel, a senior fellow at NORC. “I think a number of people will be willing to pay for these programs on a voluntary basis as long as it doesn’t cost too much,” he says. “The question is, are employers willing to pay more?” As for the cost of such services, he surmises that any arrangement would need to be carefully thought out and most likely done in conjunction with insurance carriers to help manage the risk or expense. “You certainly want to price it in a way that allows for the reduction in claims expenses or absenteeism or increased productivity,” he says. Gabel explains that one major challenge would be to sell the concept to lower-income workers who are in a position to least afford these out-of-pocket expenses but seem to be in the greatest need of such assistance. The STOP Obesity Alliance declined to share any details associated with this specific survey finding pending publication of a comprehensive analysis into the research, but promised to release the information at a later date. Any use of this information without written permission from Employee Benefit News and Voluntary.com, LLC is prohibited. Go to Employee Benefit News Print this article      Email this article • Return to Employee Benefit News Articles • See Employee Benefit Adviser Articles