Preventive Healthcare: Meaning And Why Is It Important For Your Employees

Most of us usually think that going to the doctor is only necessary when we are sick, and we can control our health through eating healthy and being active. It may come as a surprise that maintaining healthy lifestyle habits is only a part of preventing illness. Preventive healthcare plays an integral role in staying well. 

Preventive healthcare deals with the prevention of illnesses in order to decrease the burden of disease and risk factors. You can apply preventive measures across your lifespan to reduce the risk of contracting any disease and increase the chances of early detection.

What Is Preventive Healthcare?

Preventive healthcare includes identifying and minimizing disease risk factors, existing disease improvements, and early disease detection screening. 

This has become essential because it allows people to know their health issues in the nick of time. A big advantage of this is that you can detect diseases like cancer or heart weaknesses at a stage when they’re curable and relatively easier to treat. These are silent killers, and the only way to deal with them is to remain aware of the issues through regular check-ups and taking advantage of preventive healthcare. 

Why Is Preventive Healthcare Important For A Healthy Lifestyle?

Sometimes, the symptoms of a certain disease appear on the surface slowly, and you cannot figure out the exact reason for being unhealthy. Even when you feel that everything is fine with your body, you might not know what is going on inside your body. 

Regular health check-ups and follow-ups with your doctor can help you avoid several health risks. Even a routine blood test in 6 months can provide enough health information about your body. Also, you can get yourself checked for blood pressure, blood glucose, and cholesterol levels. 

What Is Preventive Health Insurance?

As the saying goes, "Prevention is better than cure." It is always recommended to take the necessary steps to distance yourself from diseases and be healthy. This includes constant monitoring of your health through full-body check-ups at clinics and hospitals at proper intervals. 

Health insurance companies across the nation provide several policies in the name of preventive health check-up packages. Moreover, these are offered for people seeking to go through regular health check-ups. 

These types of preventive health insurance packages are important for critical illness because early detection of diseases is crucial for proper treatment and medication. In addition, preventive health check-ups may seek the patient's family history for consideration. It is helpful in assessing the risk of disease development based on heredity and other related factors. 

Individuals can lead their lifestyles on the basis of the results of such preventive health check-ups. And it definitely improves their quality of life and helps them head towards a much healthier life. 

Preventive Healthcare And Group Insurance

Preventive healthcare is important for every company to maintain and improve the health of employees so that they feel a sense of belonging and remain faithful to the company. The easiest way to achieve this is by introducing preventive healthcare packages in the corporate culture. 

There's an emerging trend of people taking charge of their own health and of those close to them. An increasing number of people are opting for preventive healthcare packages to maintain a healthy lifestyle. 

Why Is Preventive Health Care Essential For Your Employees?

Preventive health care is vital for your employees. Why? Because their health directly corresponds with productivity and overall engagement in the office. Research from the Bureau of Labor Statistics states that in the month of January 2018, about 4.2 million workers missed office because they had an injury, illness, medical problem, or appointment. 

Besides, the U.S. Department of Labor concluded in 2017 that almost 3 per cent of an employer's workforce was absent on any other day. It would be wise to note that time away from the office is lost productivity. 

In India, roughly 5.8 million Indians die because of diabetes, cancer, stroke, heart and lung diseases each year. 

So why wait until your employees have a disease to address their health?  Instead, a preventive healthcare approach could help your team avoid sickness and maintain good health.

Here are some reasons why you should make preventive healthcare a focus in your employee wellness program:

Preventive Healthcare Will Detect Diseases Earlier

Preventive healthcare can detect a wide variety of diseases even if no outward symptoms are visible. This includes certain cancers, diabetes, obesity, and depression, among many others. Further, diagnosing diseases beforehand will result in better treatment outcomes. 

Healthcare Costs Go Down

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, chronic diseases that are avoidable through preventative care account for 75 per cent of the US’s healthcare expenditure.

Besides, a study showed that individuals who enrolled themselves in a preventive care program went to the emergency room less frequently in comparison to those who were not enrolled in the program. Due to this, both employees and their employers experienced reduced healthcare costs. 

Chronic Absenteeism Decreases

When your employees are sick, they lose focus and concentration. This ultimately hinders their productivity and ability to complete their work efficiently.

Research shows that businesses lose millions of dollars every year because of absenteeism, which decreases productivity. According to the CDC, lost productivity related to absenteeism costs U.S. employers $225.8 million annually or  $1,685 per employee. 

Bring Preventive Healthcare to the Office

Employees usually neglect their health due to lack of time or other nuisances. Make healthcare easy for your employees by bringing it directly to them at work. At Plum, your group health insurance is also a part of the preventive health care model. You can engage all of your workforce's healthcare requirements on a single, simple platform. Say hello to Plum!