Financial Incentives, Participation in Employer-Sponsored Health Promotion, and Changes in Employee Health and Productivity: HealthPlus Health Quotient Program

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Abstract
Employer-sponsored health promotion can improve employee health and morale and reduce medical claims and absenteeism. Effectiveness depends on the participation of those employees who are at increased risk of ill health. HealthPlus Health Quotient is an incentive/disincentive approach to health promotion. The employer’s contribution to the employee cafeteria-plan benefit package is adjusted on the basis of an annual health risk appraisal. We evaluated whether this financial incentive/disincentive predicted participation in health promotion activities, and whether participation improved future health risk and productivity. In the first year, participation was proportional to overall health risk (P