Top insurers nationwide are recognizing the value of wellness programs in reducing the cost of medical insurance and providing a path towards more affordable health insurance. Wellness classes and patient education programs and disease management strategies are being incorporated into many employer and even private health insurance plans.

In fact there are a growing number of insurers that do not just incorporate such programs into their traditional insurance plans the wellness program is the mainstay of the policy. Chicago based Destiny Health is one such company and it has now expanded its Vitality program nationwide. Wellness plans by their very nature reduce costs and provide affordable medical coverage because they keep people healthy. And Vitality claims to be one of the few well-living healthcare plans currently available nationwide that takes all of the causes of causes of reduced health into consideration. Under the program members are provide patient education materials and wellness check-ups to receive vital information about their individual health and health risks.

By filling out a special assessment, participants in the health insurance plan will then receive patient specific reports and given recommendations on how to make the right kind of changes to build up their health. For example members will be sent guidelines for preventive care, and are required to attend periodic clinics to track healthy lifestyle modifications. Sugar levels, cholesterol and blood pressure will be measured on a regular basis. As will fluctuations in weight.

Large employers are seeing the advantages. According to the company, those who have participated in the health insurance program have seen more than a ten percent reduction in claims over the past few years. Take that to companies with 5000 or more employees and by year three that represents savings in out of pocket medical costs of over two million dollars. The Harvard Business Review concluded that those savings could actually amount to almost ten million dollars annually, when other than direct costs related to productivity such as days off for illness or injury factored in.

And of course that entire savings means more affordable health insurance rates. The National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention states that preventable diseases such as diabetes and, heart disease account for almost three-quarters of all of the healthcare dollars being spent annually. A spokesperson for the company said, The Vitality product has been specifically designed to reduce these costs, and to effect changes in health care for the better, resulting in lower health insurance costs, increased productivity and a stronger and more fit labor pool.