Commentary: The average lifetime expenditure for healthcare is currently $316,000 and much of the cost is clearly linked to health habits. Poor health habits are strongly associated with illness and are strong predictors of future health care costs. For example, the lifetime costs for smokers are higher than those for nonsmokers, by about one-third. Also, people with low levels of physical activity visit the doctor more frequently than those who are physically active. When looking at any given organization’s population of employees, people with three or more of the following risk factors (smoking, obesity, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and diabetes) have healthcare claims that are double those of people with no risk factors.
Also see: “Wellness programs ‘massively overscreening’ people.”
