In 2023, around 35.5 percent of Canadian adults were overweight, while 30 percent were obese. Rates of obesity in Canada have steadily increased in recent years making obesity one of the country’s biggest health problems. One study estimated that the annual productivity cost from disability due to obesity in Canada was 11.8 billion Canadian dollars in 2019.
How does obesity effect your team and your business? When your employees struggle with weight management, too often they have a fear of being blamed or judged or failing. If they struggle with addressing weight issues and hesitate to seek medical help it can not only be detrimental to their good health but your business’ good health. That’s why health insurance helps.
Obesity and job performance are clearly correlated
According to new research by the European Congress on Obesity (ECO), individuals living with overweight or obesity are more likely to be absent from work due to ill health than those with normal weight and they are also more likely to absent for longer.
If your team’s jobs have more physical demands, your obese workers are more likely to report more injuries. This may be linked to health factors associated with obesity, like fatigue and sleepiness, physical limitations and the possibility that protective equipment is used less because it isn’t comfortable or doesn’t fit well.
Most importantly, Statista reports that being overweight or obese increases the risk of your team members developing a number of serious chronic health conditions including
- High blood pressure
- Type 2 Diabetes
- Coronary Heart Disease
- Anxiety and depression
- Certain cancers
- Fatty liver disease
- Gallbladder diseases
- Heart problems
- Joint pain
- Kidney disease
- Metabolic syndrome
- Osteoarthritis
- Sleep apnea
- Stroke
What is obesity and how does health insurance help?
According to Obesity Canada, obesity is in itself a chronic disease characterized by the presence of abnormal or excess body fat that impairs a person’s health and social well-being. Obesity lasts for a long time and requires ongoing management. It’s not something that can be easily fixed overnight. It is a complex condition that requires regular attention and care, just like other chronic diseases.
Your team members experiencing obesity can get support to manage the condition, just like people experiencing other chronic diseases. In fact, one in three people living with obesity require medical support.
Health insurance covers some of the out-of-pocket costs for healthcare and provides options that each person can use to personally customize their approach for a healthy outcome.
While treatment from a general practitioner will usually not cost anything, expenses for other therapy to help an individual cope with life’s hurdles can really add up. Visits for counselling provided by a psychologist can help you think about your problems differently and give you ways to manage — and the fees charged can be covered under health insurance, up to a plan maximum covered per year. Therapy can be in person or virtual to be eligible.
Health insurance delivers many “built in” tools so individuals can learn new ways to deal with the expected and unexpected in life including mindfulness tools, sleep, stress management and motivational programs to help focus on your weight management to achieve your health goals, plus access to recent articles on finding care, managing health, and preventing illness. There are also some plans with motivational programs to help an employee focus and achieve their health goals.
Dietician health coaching is covered by health insurance and can identify healthier food choices and provide support to reduce or maintain a healthy weight. When it comes to improving overall well-being in mind, body, and spirit, there are advantages available with physical therapies. Naturopathic doctors, Swedish and shiatsu massage performed by registered therapists and eastern-based acupuncture are just some of the options individuals choose. These services are not covered by our government health plan, and a person will be charged a fee, which may be partly covered by health insurance.
Its important to note that popular prescription medications like Ozempic and Jardiance are not covered when used as weight loss methods (although they are covered for their original prescribed intended uses).
Many plans also feature virtual health care with 24/7 access to healthcare practitioners online, through an app for lab results, prescriptions, refills, and referrals, helping to reduce an employees need to take time away from work to better manage their health.
Consider your teams health insurance options
Remember, in Canada, we’re fortunate to have government healthcare that covers doctors’ visits, in‐hospital procedures and so on. But there’s a lot that’s not covered — like eyeglasses, dental care and more. Those expenses can take up a big chunk of your employee’s personal budget, especially when they’re unexpected.
The fact is healthy employees perform better at their work – and deliver more consistent service and products to your customers. If you are not offering health insurance, your employees – including those battling with obesity — will only seek medical care in case of emergency. When you offer health insurance your staff is much more likely to take advantage of preventative care. They are less likely to get sick. A healthy staff means fewer sick days and greater productivity.
The cost of health insurance for small businesses can vary greatly. It will depend on the plan you go with, how many benefits you decide to offer and how many employees you have. Your employee health plan with prescription drug coverage can also cover dental health benefits, or not. All employees can be covered if they are a resident of Canada over the age of 18 and covered by a government healthcare plan, including part-time, contract and full-time workers.
You can control how much you want to fund. The costs can be as little at $100 a month for three employees. A portion of the health plan insurance premiums may be deductible as a business expense and may also be non-taxable to an employee. It is important to consult with a tax advisor to be certain.
You may also consider providing extra funds directly to your employees so they can personally purchase their own individual health insurance policy. This option can be a more cost-effective way to provide benefits versus implementing a group plan. Plus, employees can choose the health insurance benefits they think they will need. That is flexibility they will appreciate.
What’s your business next step?
As more people define their weight as inappropriate, its important to be able to have a source to trust to receive proper guidance and support. As treatments are becoming available, health insurance features evolve year after year to help your team now and in the future with wellness – and the overall healthcare needs for them and your business.
Obesity Canada offers more information on managing obesity in your workplace, and at SBIS we can assist in putting in place a health insurance plan that’s right for you and your team, with over 50 choices of plans. Give us a call today or go online to apply for coverage for you and your team need.
