Keeping Workers Healthy and Productive Creates Economic Value
Economist David Bloom, Ph.D., points out that healthy, active workers are essential in a nation's economic strength. In Bloom's words, "Healthier means wealthier."1 That makes sense especially when the productivity costs of poor health are figured into the equation.
For example, in 2004 the overall cost of cancer in the U.S. was $189.8 billion. That figure includes $69.4 billion in direct medical expenses, $16.9 billion for lost worker productivity due to illness, and $103.5 billion for lost worker productivity due to premature death.2
1 Coy P. "Better Health Boosts GNP," Business Week, p. 28, Dec. 3, 2001.
2 From the Council of State Governments, "Comprehensive Approaches to Cancer Control," based on data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Cancer Society, and National Cancer Institute, 2005.
|
