Higher Employee Expense Means Less Productivity: Shifting pharmaceutical
costs to employees leads to increased disability and lost productivity,
according to a recently published three-year study conducted by the nonprofit
Integrated Benefits Institute.
Using data aggregated from 17 employers that cover a total of 1 million
people, researchers at the San Francisco-based nonprofit organization concluded
that when employers raise employee out-of-pocket expenses, the use of
prescription drugs decreases. In the long term, employee health declines.
The study, released June 27, gives added weight to programs offered by
employers like Pitney Bowes, the University of Michigan and the city of
Asheville, North Carolina, which subsidize the cost of prescription drugs in
order to increase the use of medicines that keep employees healthy and
productive at work.
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