WASHINGTON — More than ever, employers are helping obese workers lose weight, a growing trend that helps them save money on health care costs.
By this time next year, about 40 percent of corporate America will offer workers free programs designed to help them lose weight. The Wall Street Journal reports about of a third of employers now offer that perk.
Thirty-eight percent of companies now cover bariatric surgery for obese workers, according to WSJ.
Increasingly, wearable fitness trackers and social weight loss apps have corporate clients like Boeing and J.P. Morgan Chase, among others. And companies such as L.L. Bean sponsor free programs — during work hours — on emotional counseling, nutrition advice and exercise classes.
Why does the boss care about obesity?
A Yale economist tells the Journal that companies helping obese workers lose weight save an average of nine percent on costs, including worker health care and productivity lost when workers take sick leave.
WTOP’s Kristi King contributed to this report.
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