Our economy needs fail-safe programs that retain an active workforce and combat inflation and supply chain disturbances. The covid-19 pandemic has shown a clear link between our health and our economic growth. As normalcy returns, we must have productive businesses with a healthy workforce that can withstand further economic hurdles.
Five predominant health conditions — high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, physical inactivity and obesity — cost U.S. employers $36.4 billion per year due to absenteeism. Access to quality health care could drastically reduce this.
Some employees while at work, experience presenteeism: they are at work, but they don’t perform at full capacity. The costs of presenteeism are 10 times higher than those of absenteeism. Employer-sponsored health plans can help improve workforce health and reduce other health-related costs.
Research shows employer-based coverage is good for state and local economies as it has a “multiplier effect.” Increasing tax revenues, the financial well-being of individuals, and increasing business revenue, which they in turn pass on to suppliers and employees, further stimulating growth.
I encourage all businesses in our state to invest in employer-provided coverage. It helps to improve people’s health, support a thriving economy, and ensure financial security for workers and the communities they live in.
Spencer Cohen
Seattle
Alliance to Fight for Health Care
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