Nationwide Better Health, part of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, closed its doors Sept. 1 after five years in the wellness and productivity business. The company announced on May 25 that Nationwide would sell its productivity services to Sedgwick Claims Management Services Inc. and wind down disease management and wellness programs.
Although the closure came as a surprise to industry leaders, to president of the subsidiary Terri Hill, it made sense to close. “The biggest external factor that affected our business was the economic downturn. We were building up this company in 2007 and 2008 when employers were faced with difficult choices: Do they fund the 401(k) program or offer wellness?,” Hill says.
