The Heart of Health Care Costs

Known to many as the silent killer, heart disease is lurking in every office in America. While focus is sometimes put on a healthy diet, or exercise, and while the intention to change to a healthier lifestyle is often apparent in many individuals, the actual follow through is poor.

During the poor follow through is when heart disease strikes. Over a million people die annually due to some form of heart disease, which does include strokes and heart attacks. This disease takes a toll on the individual, but it also takes a huge toll on the company.

Many employers are unaware that heart disease results in over 100 billion dollars annually in medical costs and in losses of productivity. In addition, millions of work days are lost every year because employees need to take time off to recuperate from their illnesses.

According to the American Heart Association, in 2009 the cost of various diseases and strokes was $475.3 billion dollars. Since employers are responsible for paying for the health care costs of their employees, the more sick the employees, the more it costs the company!

However not all employers are aware of all the causes of one of the most fatal disease in the country. They are also unaware that many of these causes are preventable.

Heart disease is often difficult to detect. One of the many causes of this disease is stress. Employees that are consistently stressed put a high level of pressure on their immune system, and in turn an increased level of stress onto their cardiovascular system, causing heart disease.

In addition, many employees who are stressed, smoke to relieve stress. There is no question that smoking has a very high correlation with causing heart disease. It  increases blood pressure, which in turn causes hypertension and many other cardiovascular problems.

Over two-thirds of the employees who smoke say that they would like to quit, however they have not been able to make the shift due to their stressful work schedule.

Another issue that causes heart disease is high blood cholesterol. This often happens with lack of time to properly exercise, and with eating foods that are not conducive to a healthy diet.

Due to hectic schedule, many employees become accustomed to eating on the go, or taking frequent trips to the vending machine; unaware that this causes heart disease. Yet this frequent intake of fatty high-cholesterol foods can cause clogging of the arteries over time, a condition known as artherosclerosis.

According to the American Heart Association, this is defined as the narrowing of coronary arteries due to build-up of plaque, which makes it more difficult for blood to flow through the cardiovascular system. Coronary heart disease is caused by artherosclerosis, and is the single leading killer among all forms of heart disease. Treatment for this disease is also very expensive.

Remember it is always less expensive to prevent disease than it is to try and treat it. The solution to fighting the silent killer is to change the office environment, so employees become healthier.

This disease can be prevented through prevenive medicine! Companies can implement  corporate wellness health programs and can sponsor events such as free blood pressure screenings to start bringing health into the workplace.