Wellness

A projected cost increase across the more than $13 trillion in pension liabilities in North America and Europe would be about the same as everyone giving up smoking within a generation, a risk-modeling firm says.

The program, available to self-insured employers, offers some diabetes supplies and diabetes-related prescription drugs at no charge, as well as no copays for related doctor visits, at an estimated savings of up to $500 a year for participants.

Freestanding ERs are among the fastest-growing areas of medical care, but many say the facility fees charged by them aren’t justified and lack transparency. Hospitals contend the facilities drain away the privately insured, high-paying patients they need to survive.

Beth Taylor on how to quantify a return on investment for advisers and companies with wellness programs

Called the ‘Swiss Army knife’ of its kind, a vendor management system from Sonic Boom aims to streamline wellness incentive administration.

Eighty-three percent of 800 large and mid-size American employers — representing more than 7 million workers — now use some form of incentive to get employees more aware of their health status, Aon Hewitt polls show.

40% of employers anticipate that their company’s wellness budget will increase in the near future, a recent OptumHealth shows — and many are finding quick, easy ways to incorporate healthy living into the work day.

Diabetes medications are multibillion-dollar drugs and the percentage of Americans diagnosed with the disease continues to grow, but there is evidence that major pharmaceuticals are causing pre-cancerous changes.

An analysis of seven previous studies showed the beverages appeared to disturb the heart’s natural rhythm, which over time may lead to an irregular heartbeat or death and raise blood pressure.

A rising number of injuries linked to robotic surgery has been reported to Massachusetts health officials, spurring the state to call for better oversight on training and more disclosure to patients on potential risks.

About 2% of American school children were diagnosed with autism disorders in 2011 and 2012, a 72 percent increase from the previous five years, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Caffeine levels should be reduced in energy drinks because of health risks, particularly to children, doctors wrote the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Funding for Alzheimer’s has lagged behind other medical issues, advocates say, and the disease is now the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States. Without breakthroughs, the number of those affected aged 65 and older will double by 2050.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg called for legislation to make New York the first U.S. city to require stores to conceal tobacco products, a week after a court struck down his ban on the sale of large sugary beverages.

The number of employers offering a sponsored retirement plan slightly increased in 2012 from four years prior, while matches and employer contributions remained near constant, according to a survey released today by WorldatWork and the American Benefits Institute.

Older U.S. adults may get too many colonoscopies, costing Medicare an estimated $500 million a year and putting patients at an increased risk of side effects such as bleeding, researchers found.

If a new potential therapy for slowing the onset of Alzheimer’s disease is successful, the use of PET scans — which cost $1,500 to $3,500 apiece — “will explode,” says one scientist involved in the research.

Bacteria — including E. coli resistant to all or nearly all antibiotics — are being seen in increasing numbers, according to news this week from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Worse, the most dangerous kind of bacteria are growing in proportion.

People who suffer from insomnia may have an increased risk of heart failure, according to the largest study ever to investigate the link.

Agency principals and wellness directors share how their firms found success with a self-branded wellness program.