ROSELAND, N.J., Aug. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- ADP®, a leading
provider of employee benefits administration services, today
announced it has partnered with The Vitality Group, an established
actuarial-based wellness program provider, to help midsized
companies tackle a top business challenge – rising healthcare
expenses – with the launch of the ADP Vitality wellness
solution. This solution is an incentive-based wellness
program that midsized employers can use to motivate employees to
make healthier life choices that lower healthcare costs, increase
morale and improve the health of employees.
Faced with increasing rates of obesity, diabetes and other
chronic diseases, employees and employers are both seeking ways to
proactively manage rapidly growing healthcare costs. In fact,
according to The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services,
Office of the Actuary, National Health Statistics Group and the
U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis, per
capita national health expenditures have increased 30% between 1990
and 2010, and by 2015 spending on health-related issues will surge
to $10,535 per person – a 26.5%
increase over 2010.
As a result, many businesses have been forced to control costs
through workforce reductions, offering fewer health plans to
employees and shifting more costs to employees. According to
a survey conducted in May 2012 among
midsized business owners and senior executives by the ADP Research
Institute (ADP RI), a specialized group within ADP, the number one
concern of midsized business owners in this economy is the cost of
healthcare coverage, with two out of five respondents rating this
concern as "extreme."
"Wellness initiatives, unlike other cost-containment strategies,
can boost employee morale while working to control costs," said
Jessica Saperstein, Division Vice
President of Strategy and Business Development at ADP. "By
enabling midsized businesses to add a successful wellness program
to their overall HR portfolio, we're helping companies optimize
investments in their employees, so our clients can focus on growing
and succeeding in the marketplace. We are proud to partner
with The Vitality Group on this exciting new offer."
Like their larger peers, midsized employers show an interest in
preventive strategies, such as wellness programs, to help mitigate
health expenses. In fact, according to a Wellness Study
conducted by the ADP RI, 44% of midsized employers offer wellness
programs today, representing a solid market opportunity for the ADP
Vitality wellness solution.
The new ADP Vitality wellness solution is designed to assist
midsized companies with between 50 and 1,000 employees foster a
culture of health and wellness, while helping to reduce healthcare
claims, health-related costs and employee absenteeism.
Participants have access to an interactive wellness portal that
features educational resources and tools to help them pursue a
healthier lifestyle. Key features of the program include
health risk assessments, biometric screenings and personalized
wellness plans with recommended goals and activities. The
program integrates with social networking sites, mobile
applications and fitness technologies to give employees additional
support as they pursue their wellness goals. When employees
achieve plan goals, they can earn points toward lowering their
monthly health plan contributions.
"Today, more than 3.5 million people worldwide already benefit
from Vitality health and wellness programs. We are delighted
to partner with ADP and to help extend the ADP Vitality wellness
solution to midmarket companies across the United States," said Alan Pollard, Chief Executive Officer for The
Vitality Group.
The ADP Vitality wellness solution integrates directly with
employers' payroll systems, enabling automatic adjustments to
individual employees' health plan contributions based on their
program engagement. This program is now available in
San Francisco, Chicago and Philadelphia, and ADP plans to expand the
solution later this year. For more information about ADP
Vitality, visit: http://www.adp.com/wellness.
About the ADP Research InstituteSM
The ADP Research Institute is a specialized group within ADP
that provides insights to leaders in both the private and public
sectors around issues of human capital management, employment
trends and workforce strategy. For more information about the
ADP Research Institute, visit: http://www.adp.com/research.
About ADP
Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ADP), with more than
$10 billion in revenues and
approximately 600,000 clients, is one of the world's largest
providers of business outsourcing solutions. Leveraging over
60 years of experience, ADP offers a wide range of human
resource, payroll, tax and benefits administration
solutions from a single source. ADP's easy-to-use
solutions for employers provide superior value to companies of all
types and sizes. ADP is also a leading provider of integrated
computing solutions to auto, truck, motorcycle, marine,
recreational vehicle, and heavy equipment dealers throughout
the world. For more information about ADP or to contact a
local ADP sales office, reach us at 1.800.225.5237 or visit the
company's website at www.ADP.com.
About The Vitality Group
The Vitality Group is a member of Discovery Holdings Limited.
Vitality wellness programs serve more than 3.5 million
members worldwide in companies in a wide range of sizes and
industry categories, improving individuals' health and well-being
as well as employers' bottom lines. In America, numerous
forward-thinking companies are joining global organizations in the
United Kingdom and South Africa who together are proving the
effectiveness of the Vitality health enhancement solution in
reducing healthcare costs. www.thevitalitygroup.com
SOURCE ADP; The Vitality Group