Chronic conditions like obesity, musculoskeletal pain, mental health and diabetes now drive the majority of employer healthcare costs (90% as per the CDC*), despite most of these conditions being preventable. As enterprises continue to drown in drug costs, latest research from actuarial experts, Havarti Risk and FitOn Health highlights the growing financial benefit of a healthy workforce. 

The data shows that by engaging employees with lifestyle-focused preventive care programs, such as FitOn Health, enterprises can benefit from up to 3.6X ROI — saving $359 per engaged employee per year in healthcare and productivity savings. As employees improve and maintain their health, the incidence and population prevalence of chronic conditions decline, leading to measurable reductions in prescription use and care-related costs. The combination of a mobile-first ‘always on’ approach, combined with social connection and community engagement means behavior change is real, as are the cost savings.   

Implementing high-engagement, preventive care programs — with personalized fitness, nutrition, and mental health support — is proven to deliver impact at scale with significant savings. The analytics, unveiled today, confirm that healthier, fitter and therefore happier and more productive employees save businesses hundreds of thousands on employee healthcare costs every year.  With the surge of prescriptions for GLP-1s to address obesity, cardiovascular disease and metabolic conditions, FitOn Health serves as a powerful companion program by addressing the underlying lifestyle factors which lead to chronic conditions — helping to drive healthier, sustainable long-term outcomes. 

The numbers further underscore these benefits: 

• Annual healthcare savings: $433,228 based on 1200 engaged users of employee fitness & health programs of all health care cost savings and productivity savings. 
• Reduction in Medical Cost From Increased Activity and Movement via engagement with FitOn (1): $226,112 - based on 1200 engaged users & savings of $188 per member
• Employee Engagement savings (2): $207,116 - based on 1200 engaged users & savings of $173 per member causes increased productivity. 
• Using the calculations for this survey, and based on 10,000 members at $12 per head, the ROI for FitOn Health is 3.6X — well above industry standard and supporting the value of integrating health and fitness experiences into employee behavior as standard.

Lindsay Cook, CEO & Co-Founder of FitOn Health comments, “If exercise were a drug, it would be the most prescribed in the world. And for good reason — physical activity alone reduces the risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, depression, and MSK issues by up to 50%. But because it’s free — and takes effort — it’s often overlooked in favor of quick pharmaceutical fixes. That oversight doesn’t just affect health — this latest research shows that it significantly impacts your bottom line too.” 

Keith Passwater, CEO of Havarti Risk adds, “As professional actuaries, we’re pleased that the numbers support what we have always known — that the right preventive healthcare measures make fiscal sense. Our role is to assess the total financial value of healthcare programs that allow businesses to operate as efficiently as possible — when considering healthcare, developing programs that are preventive far outweigh relying on the cure. The numbers speak for themselves — healthier employees really do make for a healthier bottom line.”