Hewitt Survey: Employers Investing In Workers’ Health

Despite the uncertainty surrounding health care reform, most U.S. employers say they are making investments that will improve the long-term health and productivity of their workforce, according to a new survey.

Researchers at Hewitt Associates Inc., Lincolnshire, Ill. (NYSE: HEW), polled about 600 large U.S. employers with a total of about 10 million employees.

About two-thirds of the respondents said they invest in long-term solutions to improve the health and productivity of their workers; only 32% said are primarily focused on controlling annual health care costs. Just 3% reported moving away from directly sponsoring health care.

When asked about their future approach to health care, 80% said they plan to focus on improving health and productivity in the next 3 to 5 years.

Almost 95% of the companies said managing costs is a top business issue, up from 91% in 2009.