One out of every three people in the U.S. are clinically obese; the healthcare costs for people who are obese is $1,429 higher than people of normal weight.

Another critical health problem is the rising rate of diabetes; an employee with diabetes costs $13,243 more annually as compared to those without diabetes, whose cost is $2,560 on average.

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Cardiovascular disease and post-stroke effects affect almost 100 million Americans. The costs of cardiovascular diseases and stroke are estimated at more than $316 billion; this includes both the health costs and lost productivity

 

Chronic pain is another widespread problem that affects over 100 million Americans, and - according to the Institute of Medicine, costs upward of $635 billion dollars a year in medical treatments and lost productivity; again - much of the cost is paid by employers.

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About 92.1 million American adults are living with some form of cardiovascular disease or the after-effects of stroke. Direct and indirect costs of cardiovascular diseases and stroke are estimated to total more than $316 billion; that includes both health expenditures and lost productivity.

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Although smoking has declined over the years, 40 million Americans still smoke, according to the CDC. Healthcare costs for smokers are over $2,000 higher per year than costs for non-smokers.

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Unhealthy stress is a link to depression, and depression costs employers over 40 billion annually in lost productivity and poorer-on-the-job performance. Health care costs are nearly 50% greater for workers who report high levels of stress.

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According to numerous studies, it has now been proven that those employees with lower levels of fitness and overall health miss more days of work that their healthier, fit employees. The CDC also maintains that healthier employees are less likely to call in sick.