How Does Healthcare Reform Affect Businesses and Their Wellness Programs?

The following video, produced by CBS News, illustrates how small businesses may benefit the most from healthcare reform:

According to this video and its accompanying article, some of the main goals of healthcare reform are to limit spikes in insurance costs and to incentivize businesses to cover more workers.

But what about those larger companies that will have to pay more to cover their employees?  According to an article by NPR, these companies will have to offer more benefits and consumer protections such as free preventive services and guaranteed direct access to obstetricians or gynecologists for women.

Additionally, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers, health insurance costs are naturally going to rise in the coming year due to inflation, and the new benefits of healthcare reform won’t take effect for another three years.  Some employers may deal with this projected 9% medical inflation rate by shifting costs to workers.

Alternatively, offering more preventative care and wellness programs for employees may actually boost the profitability of companies.  The National Business Group of Health (NBGH) claims that for every dollar spent per employee on preventive services and health improvement programs, employers can get back three dollars in profit due to decreased absenteeism and increased productivity.