{"id":2612,"date":"2020-01-02T10:51:39","date_gmt":"2020-01-02T17:51:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/?p=2612"},"modified":"2026-04-06T13:06:01","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T19:06:01","slug":"benefits-of-wellness-lower-health-care-costs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/02\/benefits-of-wellness-lower-health-care-costs\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Lower Health Care Costs is One of the Benefits of Wellness"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_81 ez-toc-wrap-left counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-light-blue ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"cursor:pointer\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/02\/benefits-of-wellness-lower-health-care-costs\/#How_much_impact_do_employee_wellness_programs_have_on_rising_health_care_expenses\" >How much impact do employee wellness programs have on rising health care expenses?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/02\/benefits-of-wellness-lower-health-care-costs\/#What_drives_high_healthcare_costs_for_employers\" >What drives high healthcare costs for employers?<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/02\/benefits-of-wellness-lower-health-care-costs\/#Unhealthy_Lifestyle_Behaviors\" >Unhealthy Lifestyle Behaviors<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/02\/benefits-of-wellness-lower-health-care-costs\/#Salary_and_Drug_Costs\" >Salary and Drug Costs<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/02\/benefits-of-wellness-lower-health-care-costs\/#Expensive_Technologies_and_Procedures\" >Expensive Technologies and Procedures<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/02\/benefits-of-wellness-lower-health-care-costs\/#Fragmented_Care\" >Fragmented Care<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/02\/benefits-of-wellness-lower-health-care-costs\/#Lack_of_Cost_Consideration\" >Lack of Cost Consideration<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/02\/benefits-of-wellness-lower-health-care-costs\/#Fee_for_Service\" >Fee for Service<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/02\/benefits-of-wellness-lower-health-care-costs\/#High_Administrative_Costs\" >High Administrative Costs<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/02\/benefits-of-wellness-lower-health-care-costs\/#End-of-Life_Care\" >End-of-Life Care<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/02\/benefits-of-wellness-lower-health-care-costs\/#Provider_Consolidation\" >Provider Consolidation<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/02\/benefits-of-wellness-lower-health-care-costs\/#How_can_wellness_strategies_lower_healthcare_costs\" >How can wellness strategies lower healthcare costs?<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/02\/benefits-of-wellness-lower-health-care-costs\/#Drop_Insurance_Completely\" >Drop Insurance Completely<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/02\/benefits-of-wellness-lower-health-care-costs\/#Change_Insurance_CarriersNegotiate_Better_Rates\" >Change Insurance Carriers\/Negotiate Better Rates<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/02\/benefits-of-wellness-lower-health-care-costs\/#Self_Insuring\" >Self Insuring<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-16\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/02\/benefits-of-wellness-lower-health-care-costs\/#High_Deductible_Plans\" >High Deductible Plans<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-17\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/02\/benefits-of-wellness-lower-health-care-costs\/#On-site_Clinics\" >On-site Clinics<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-18\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/02\/benefits-of-wellness-lower-health-care-costs\/#Disease_Management\" >Disease Management<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-19\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/02\/benefits-of-wellness-lower-health-care-costs\/#Workplace_Health_Programs\" >Workplace Health Programs<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-20\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/02\/benefits-of-wellness-lower-health-care-costs\/#What_conclusions_should_employers_draw_about_lowering_healthcare_costs_through_wellness\" >What conclusions should employers draw about lowering healthcare costs through wellness?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-21\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/02\/benefits-of-wellness-lower-health-care-costs\/#What_are_some_other_related_articles\" >What are some other related articles?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-22\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/02\/benefits-of-wellness-lower-health-care-costs\/#Frequently_Asked_Questions\" >Frequently Asked Questions<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote executive-summary is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-width:1px;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);font-size:17px\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p style=\"font-size:20px\"><strong>Executive Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group executive-summary\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p style=\"font-size:18px\"><strong>How do wellness programs help lower health care costs?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"executive-summary\" style=\"font-size:16px\">Wellness programs help lower health care costs by reducing preventable health risks like obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes. When employees adopt healthier behaviors, they use fewer medical services and experience fewer costly chronic conditions. Over time, organizations see lower medical claims, reduced absenteeism, and more predictable health care spending.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-much-impact-do-employee-wellness-programs-have-on-rising-health-care-expenses\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_much_impact_do_employee_wellness_programs_have_on_rising_health_care_expenses\"><\/span>How much impact do employee wellness programs have on rising health care expenses?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The health and chronic disease prevention centers of America are now America&#8217;s worksites. There&#8217;s not a single group in America that does more to lower health care costs, promote health improve the health behaviors of our population than worksites. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our current medical system is a disease treatment system.&nbsp; It was created to treat, not prevent, arrest, or reverse health conditions. If you do have disease or existing health problems, the American system of medical care is very good, albeit extremely expensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the main benefits of wellness in the workplace is to improve employee health and prevent employees from having to use our expensive medical system. <\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/contact-us\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"723\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/benefits-of-wellness-1024x723.jpg\" alt=\"benefits of wellness, benefits of reducing healthcare costs, reducing costs and improving the quality of healthcare, how to lower health care costs, reducing healthcare costs through technology\" class=\"wp-image-2613\" style=\"width:600px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/benefits-of-wellness-1024x723.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/benefits-of-wellness-300x212.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/benefits-of-wellness-768x543.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/benefits-of-wellness.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Employee wellness programs can impact employee health, but their direct impact on the high cost of health care is limited because many of the drivers of high healthcare costs are not impacted by wellness programs. We have <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20210814140916\/https:\/\/www.harvardmagazine.com\/2020\/05\/feature-forum-costliest-health-care\">good research<\/a> that shows us what the main drivers of healthcare costs are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-drives-high-healthcare-costs-for-employers\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_drives_high_healthcare_costs_for_employers\"><\/span>What drives high healthcare costs for employers?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-unhealthy-lifestyle-behaviors\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Unhealthy_Lifestyle_Behaviors\"><\/span>Unhealthy Lifestyle Behaviors<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>Unhealthy lifestyle behaviors<\/strong><\/em> are responsible for most chronic diseases.&nbsp; These diseases cause approximately 70 percent of all deaths and up to <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20220920083248\/https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/chronicdisease\/pdf\/2009-power-of-prevention.pdf\">75% of all healthcare costs<\/a>. Lack of physical activity, poor diets and tobacco use are directly responsible for 70-90% of chronic diseases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-salary-and-drug-costs\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Salary_and_Drug_Costs\"><\/span>Salary and Drug Costs<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>Salary and drug costs<\/strong><\/em> in the U.S. are the highest in the world. Physicians, nurses, and other healthcare providers make higher salaries than comparable professionals in other industrialized countries. In one company, the cost of medications has increased 27% in the past 12 months. Examples of soaring prices have been <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20221218151600\/https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/news\/wonk\/wp\/2015\/09\/21\/how-an-obscure-drugs-4000-price-increase-might-finally-spur-action-on-soaring-health-care-costs\/\">reported<\/a> on multiple media outlets. Pharmaceuticals are the new gold rush.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-expensive-technologies-and-procedures\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Expensive_Technologies_and_Procedures\"><\/span>Expensive Technologies and Procedures<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>Expensive technologies and procedures <\/strong><\/em>such as MRI and CT scanning are medical marvels that come at a steep price. Fearing possible litigation, physicians will practice defensive medicine and order these scans when they are often unwarranted. This is one reason Americans do twice as much imaging as other populations in the industrialized world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-fragmented-care\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Fragmented_Care\"><\/span>Fragmented Care<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>Fragmented care<\/strong><\/em> refers to the uncoordinated and&nbsp;disconnected&nbsp;care provided by many healthcare facilities. Multiple doctors from different facilities, incompatible records systems, multiple surgeries and duplicate lab tests are common features of our healthcare system. These factors contribute to the duplication of procedures and tests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-lack-of-cost-consideration\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Lack_of_Cost_Consideration\"><\/span>Lack of Cost Consideration<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>Lack of cost consideration<\/strong><\/em> really refers to lack of cost transparency. Unlike free market transactions where a buyer and a seller agree over a known price, most medical patients have no idea how much things cost.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By having insurance, many people never see the price of goods and services and do not base their decision to purchase based on price. &nbsp;The healthcare provider and the insurance company decide the price, which makes it easier to increase prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-fee-for-service\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Fee_for_Service\"><\/span>Fee for Service<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>F<\/strong><\/em><strong style=\"font-style: italic;\">ee for service<\/strong> refers to the idea that doctors only get paid when they provide a service\u2014put something in you or take something out of you. Financial incentives are based on quantity of services provided, not quality. Hence, financial incentives often pressure most physicians to provide a service, whether or not it is needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-high-administrative-costs\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"High_Administrative_Costs\"><\/span>High Administrative Costs<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>High administrative costs <\/strong><\/em>exceed <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20221224173914\/https:\/\/www.nejm.org\/doi\/full\/10.1056\/NEJMsa022033\">$1,100 per person per year<\/a>.&nbsp; Excluding the actual cost of providing health care, it costs $1,100 per person just to administer health care in the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-end-of-life-care\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"End-of-Life_Care\"><\/span>End-of-Life Care<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>End-of-life care<\/strong><\/em> is, generally, the most expensive of all medical care. &nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/11463076\/\">One out of every four<\/a>&nbsp;Medicare dollars is spent on end-of-life care.&nbsp; In 2012, that was $125 billion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-provider-consolidation\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Provider_Consolidation\"><\/span>Provider Consolidation<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>Provider consolidation<\/strong><\/em> means <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/02\/hospital-wellness-programs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">hospitals<\/a> and physician groups are banding together with the goal of increasing market share. With each consolidation comes the tendency to increase the cost of services because of reduced competition.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Health-care-cost-drivers-1.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"629\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Health-care-cost-drivers-1-1024x629.png\" alt=\"benefits of wellness, benefits of reducing healthcare costs, reducing costs and improving the quality of healthcare, how to lower health care costs, reducing healthcare costs through technology\" class=\"wp-image-98\" style=\"width:600px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Health-care-cost-drivers-1-1024x629.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Health-care-cost-drivers-1-300x184.png 300w, https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Health-care-cost-drivers-1.png 1047w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>This list of cost drivers is not comprehensive, but it does include the most important ones. &nbsp;Worksites may not see or understand how these drivers impact healthcare costs, but they do recognize that they can implement strategies to try to slow cost increases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;Some of these are more effective than others, depending on the worksite.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/contact-us\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"482\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/guarantee-1024x482.png\" alt=\"benefits of wellness, benefits of reducing healthcare costs, reducing costs and improving the quality of healthcare, how to lower health care costs, reducing healthcare costs through technology\" class=\"wp-image-2281\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/guarantee-1024x482.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/guarantee-300x141.png 300w, https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/guarantee-768x362.png 768w, https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/guarantee.png 1501w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-can-wellness-strategies-lower-healthcare-costs\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_can_wellness_strategies_lower_healthcare_costs\"><\/span>How can wellness strategies lower healthcare costs?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-drop-insurance-completely\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Drop_Insurance_Completely\"><\/span>Drop Insurance Completely<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>Drop insurance completely<\/strong><\/em> by forcing employees to seek healthcare coverage in the exchanges. &nbsp;Larger employers can pay the federal penalty each year and pass the remaining health care costs directly to the employee. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is another version of healthcare cost shifting that many companies have considered. &nbsp;This is exactly what <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20201112031305\/https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2014\/10\/08\/business\/30000-lose-health-care-coverage-at-walmart.html\">Walmart did<\/a> with it&#8217;s 30,000 part time employees. <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20221128194826\/https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/business\/economy\/walgreens-moves-workers-to-private-health-care-exchanges\/2013\/09\/18\/46f2c074-2082-11e3-8459-657e0c72fec8_story.html\">Others <\/a>are doing the same. &nbsp;If dropping insurance coverage is too bold, you can do what most employers do, pass the cost increase along to your employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-change-insurance-carriers-negotiate-better-rates\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Change_Insurance_CarriersNegotiate_Better_Rates\"><\/span>Change Insurance Carriers\/Negotiate Better Rates<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Change insurance carriers\/ negotiate better rates<\/em>&nbsp;<\/strong>in an attempt to get better pricing. Most carriers will negotiate hard to get your business. &nbsp;It may be possible to shave a few percentage points off the cost during year one, but soon after the honeymoon is over, cost increases continue. &nbsp;This strategy is usually a dead end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-self-insuring\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Self_Insuring\"><\/span>Self Insuring<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>Self-insuring<\/strong><\/em>&nbsp;means employers pay for employee healthcare costs directly. &nbsp;With this approach the risk of high healthcare costs is born by the employer. &nbsp;However, stop loss policies help protect against catastrophic medical costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once thought to be a strategy of large corporations,&nbsp;there are insurance companies that will self-insure a company with as few as 50 people. &nbsp;This can help reduce approximately 7% of the cost that is associated with administering a fully insured insurance plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-high-deductible-plans\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"High_Deductible_Plans\"><\/span>High Deductible Plans<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>High deductible plans<\/strong><\/em> are more popular than ever. They are the ultimate in cost shifting. &nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.rwjf.org\/content\/dam\/farm\/reports\/reports\/2012\/rwjf402405\/subassets\/rwjf402405_1\">Some studies have shown<\/a> that when your employees begin a high deductible healthcare plan, healthcare costs can be reduced by as much as 5-14%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-on-site-clinics\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"On-site_Clinics\"><\/span>On-site Clinics<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>On-site clinics<\/strong><\/em>&nbsp;are loved by employees and they may well have a big impact on employee productivity, but it is <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/22418274\">still unclear <\/a>if they can actually reduce healthcare costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-disease-management\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Disease_Management\"><\/span>Disease Management<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>Disease management<\/strong><\/em> includes strategies to manage the chronic conditions of high-risk, high-cost&nbsp;employees.&nbsp;The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/15300966\">research says<\/a>&nbsp;disease management can improve patient care and may improve health outcomes, but <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20221011172806\/https:\/\/www.nejm.org\/doi\/full\/10.1056\/NEJMsa1011785\">fails to save money.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-workplace-health-programs\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Workplace_Health_Programs\"><\/span>Workplace Health Programs<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>Workplace health programs <\/strong><\/em>are one of the most effective and well accepted cost reduction strategies. The government and <a href=\"http:\/\/content.healthaffairs.org\/content\/29\/2\/304.abstract\">universities<\/a> have demonstrated that effective workplace health programs don&#8217;t eliminate the drivers of healthcare costs, but they do reduce the demand for healthcare services. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-conclusions-should-employers-draw-about-lowering-healthcare-costs-through-wellness\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_conclusions_should_employers_draw_about_lowering_healthcare_costs_through_wellness\"><\/span>What conclusions should employers draw about lowering healthcare costs through wellness?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Said another way, workplace health programs help worksites avoid high health care costs because they help employees stay healthy and stay out of the healthcare system.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/worksite-wellness-unhealthy-behaviors.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"611\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/worksite-wellness-unhealthy-behaviors-1024x611.png\" alt=\"benefits of wellness, benefits of reducing healthcare costs, reducing costs and improving the quality of healthcare, how to lower health care costs, reducing healthcare costs through technology\" class=\"wp-image-104\" style=\"width:600px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/worksite-wellness-unhealthy-behaviors-1024x611.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/worksite-wellness-unhealthy-behaviors-300x179.png 300w, https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/worksite-wellness-unhealthy-behaviors.png 1144w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Workplace health&nbsp;programs will not impact many of the drivers of healthcare costs, but they can&nbsp;impact unhealthy behaviors, and this is why reducing healthcare costs is one of the main benefits of wellness. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While helping employees adopt and maintain healthy behaviors, they improve their health and avoid chronic diseases. &nbsp;Eliminating chronic disease greatly reduces the cost of health care. Skeptics may doubt this logic, but that is exactly what happens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, worksites that do wellness programs correctly <em>will<\/em> experience lower health care costs. &nbsp;They experience wellness outcomes that demonstrate improved health behaviors, lower health risks, and dramatically lower health care costs. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/files\/three_years_of_wellness.pdf\">You can see this evidence here.&nbsp;<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, Johnson &amp; Johnson&#8217;s Wellness Program demonstrated a long-term impact on controlling health care costs by addressing high blood pressure and cholesterol risks through policy, environment, and education. During&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/11802462\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Johnson &amp; Johnson four-year study<\/a>, they decreased medical costs by approximately $225 per participating employee per year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This last image shows how an effective employee health&nbsp;program&nbsp;can have a direct impact on at least one of the divers of healthcare costs: unhealthy behaviors. In short, one of the benefits of wellness is that comprehensive&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\">wellness programs<\/a> keep people out of the healthcare system.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you are not in the healthcare system, the drivers of healthcare costs are muted. &nbsp;Reduced health care costs is just one way how wellness programs save money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-are-some-other-related-articles\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_are_some_other_related_articles\"><\/span>What are some other related articles?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/02\/impact-wellness-programs-health-care-costs\/\">THIS IS THE IMPACT OF EMPLOYEE WELLNESS PROGRAMS ON HEALTH CARE COSTS<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/02\/do-wellness-programs-save-money\/\">DO WELLNESS PROGRAMS SAVE MONEY?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/02\/wellness-roi-employee-well-being-programs\/\">WELLNESS ROI VS VOI: THE BEST EMPLOYEE WELL-BEING PROGRAMS USE BOTH<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-blog wp-block-embed-blog\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"cS0zPvF7Mt\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/02\/impact-wellness-programs-health-care-costs\/\">This Is the Impact of Employee Wellness Programs on Health Care Costs<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;This Is the Impact of Employee Wellness Programs on Health Care Costs&#8221; &#8212; Blog\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/02\/impact-wellness-programs-health-care-costs\/embed\/#?secret=Wop4ppJ80a#?secret=cS0zPvF7Mt\" data-secret=\"cS0zPvF7Mt\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-frequently-asked-questions\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Frequently_Asked_Questions\"><\/span>Frequently Asked Questions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"schema-faq wp-block-yoast-faq-block\"><div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1773256699228\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">How do wellness programs help companies lower health care costs over time?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Employers often ask how wellness reduces expenses. Realistically, wellness programs lower health care costs by preventing risk factors from escalating. Improvements in activity, nutrition, sleep, and stress translate into fewer claims, fewer chronic health issues, and reduced emergency care.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1773256703098\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">Do companies really see lower health care costs after implementing wellness programs?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Yes\u2014many do. While results vary, organizations that consistently promote healthy habits often experience stabilized claims, better biometric outcomes, and lower utilization rates. Over time, wellness efforts directly contribute to lower health care costs.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1773256704521\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">What types of wellness activities have the greatest impact on lowering health care costs?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Companies looking to lower health care costs often focus on activities that influence major risk categories: weight management, blood pressure, cholesterol, stress, and physical activity.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1773256705414\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">How long does it take for wellness programs to lower health care costs?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Leaders often expect quick returns, but meaningful reductions usually show up after two to three years of consistent engagement.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1773256706390\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\"> Can digital tools support efforts to lower health care costs?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Absolutely. Tools like WellSteps MyTracker help employees build healthy patterns that support long-term change\u2014and ultimately contribute to lower health care costs.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1773256707139\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">Why Is Health Care So Expensive?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Health care costs and spending in the United States are on the rise, affecting the budgets of families and businesses. Three key factors driving U.S health care costs are the increase of chronic diseases, unhealthy lifestyles, and expensive pharmaceutical drugs and procedures.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1773256708417\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">How Much Does Health Care Typically Cost?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">According to eHealth, the average national cost for health insurance in 2020 was $456 for individuals and $1,152 for a family per month. However, these costs vary based on age, location, health status, and plan category.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1773256765952\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">Why Are We Not Able to Control the Costs of Healthcare?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Oh, but we are. The problem is it was previously viewed as something to cut out \u2013 or take away from employees. That\u2019s not the right approach. Thankfully, with wellness insurance providers, like WellSteps, it\u2019s now about improving the health of employees that in turn cuts down on health care costs.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1773256709242\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">Are Wellness Programs Cost-Effective<strong>?<\/strong><\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">A 2019 report by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans found that most employers in North America saved between $1 and $3 in health care costs for every $1 spent on company wellness programs.<br>So, if you already have a wellness program in place, or if you are debating whether it will be worth it to start one, click\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/roi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>\u00a0to use the free WellSteps ROI calculator. It is backed by numerous scientific studies and updated each year to include the most recent findings.<\/p> <\/div> <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How much impact do employee wellness programs have on rising health care expenses? The health and chronic disease prevention centers of America are now America&#8217;s worksites. There&#8217;s not a single group in America that does more to lower health care costs, promote health improve the health behaviors of our population than worksites. Our current medical&hellip;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/02\/benefits-of-wellness-lower-health-care-costs\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Read More &raquo;<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Why Lower Health Care Costs is One of the Benefits of Wellness<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":108096,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[580,12,3,522,19,11,63],"tags":[1171,1165,1162,1168,1164,1170,1160,1161,1166,1163,1169,1167],"class_list":["post-2612","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-corporate-wellness-programs","category-employee-wellness","category-health-care-costs","category-wellness-programs","category-workplace-wellness","category-worksite-wellness","category-worksite-wellness-program","tag-benefits-of-corporate-wellness-programs","tag-benefits-of-having-wellness","tag-benefits-of-wellness","tag-benefits-of-wellness-programs","tag-benefits-of-workplace-wellness","tag-importance-of-wellness","tag-lower-health-care-costs","tag-lower-medical-costs","tag-reasons-for-wellness","tag-reasons-to-have-a-wellness-program","tag-wellness-benefits","tag-wellness-program-benefits"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.1 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Lower Health Care Costs is One of the Benefits of Wellness<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Wellness has a limited ability to lower health care costs. But there&#039;s one reason lower health care costs is still one of the best benefits.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/02\/benefits-of-wellness-lower-health-care-costs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why Lower Health Care Costs is One of the Benefits of Wellness\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Executive Summary How do wellness programs help lower health care costs? Wellness programs help lower health care costs by reducing preventable health\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/02\/benefits-of-wellness-lower-health-care-costs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WellSteps\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-01-02T17:51:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-06T19:06:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.wellsteps.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/dramatic-mountain.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2199\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1387\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dr. Steve Aldana\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@wellsteps\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@wellsteps\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dr. Steve Aldana\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.wellsteps.com\\\/blog\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/02\\\/benefits-of-wellness-lower-health-care-costs\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.wellsteps.com\\\/blog\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/02\\\/benefits-of-wellness-lower-health-care-costs\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Dr. Steve Aldana\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.wellsteps.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5a665881fbbbd2658e8b0fab9a2f701e\"},\"headline\":\"Why Lower Health Care Costs is One of the Benefits of Wellness\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-01-02T17:51:39+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-06T19:06:01+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.wellsteps.com\\\/blog\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/02\\\/benefits-of-wellness-lower-health-care-costs\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1929,\"commentCount\":1,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.wellsteps.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.wellsteps.com\\\/blog\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/02\\\/benefits-of-wellness-lower-health-care-costs\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.wellsteps.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/dramatic-mountain.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"benefits of corporate wellness programs\",\"benefits of having wellness\",\"benefits of wellness\",\"benefits of wellness programs\",\"benefits of workplace wellness\",\"importance of wellness\",\"lower health care costs\",\"lower medical costs\",\"reasons for wellness\",\"reasons to have a wellness program\",\"wellness benefits\",\"wellness program benefits\"],\"articleSection\":[\"corporate wellness programs\",\"employee wellness\",\"health care costs\",\"Wellness programs\",\"workplace wellness\",\"worksite wellness\",\"worksite wellness program\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.wellsteps.com\\\/blog\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/02\\\/benefits-of-wellness-lower-health-care-costs\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":[\"WebPage\",\"FAQPage\"],\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.wellsteps.com\\\/blog\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/02\\\/benefits-of-wellness-lower-health-care-costs\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.wellsteps.com\\\/blog\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/02\\\/benefits-of-wellness-lower-health-care-costs\\\/\",\"name\":\"Lower Health Care Costs is One of the Benefits of Wellness\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.wellsteps.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.wellsteps.com\\\/blog\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/02\\\/benefits-of-wellness-lower-health-care-costs\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.wellsteps.com\\\/blog\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/02\\\/benefits-of-wellness-lower-health-care-costs\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.wellsteps.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/dramatic-mountain.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-01-02T17:51:39+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-06T19:06:01+00:00\",\"description\":\"Wellness has a limited ability to lower health care costs. 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