Taking Responsibility for Our Health

Companies are encouraging employees to take responsibility for their health by adding the convenience of on-site health clinics. With the cost of employee health care running about $10,000 per year it's also an opportunity to save money while benefiting healthier, more productive employees, which is why 30% of large employers have on-site clinics.

Most clinics focus on preventative health care but 40% also offer pharmacy services. Some offer primary care, travel medicine, even pregnancy support and nutritional advice. Frequently clinics can produce savings of $70,000 the first year and up to $250,000 by the third year mainly by reducing the number of emergency room visits, self-referrals to specialists and improving health awareness.

Anything that gets Americans to take responsibility for their own health is a good thing ... now if we could just get them to add complementary and alternative medicine to those clinics!