Upside/Downside: measuring the success of wellness programs

As The U.S. Senate grapples with a healthcare bill, one of the goals is to bring down the cost of healthcare. Toby Cosgrove, CEO of the Cleveland Clinic, and others, have suggested that employers can play a role by giving their employees incentives to stay healthy. But can wellness programs really bring down the cost of healthcare and save companies money? In this week's edition of upside/downside, ideastream®'s Eric Wellman speaks with Ethan McPeake, a benefits consultant for the business consulting firm CBIZ, based in Independence. He says in the past five, ten years, the number of wellness programs has been ballooning. McPeake says some are more successful than others.