Chronic conditions impact employees and their family members all across America. The problem is large and constantly growing. According to the CDC, six in ten Americans currently have at least one chronic condition and four in ten have two or more. Chronic conditions are not only costly for employees, but for their employers as well. Even with health insurance coverage, a chronic condition can be a significant financial burden and impact one’s ability to work.

Every year, chronic conditions cost employers $3.5 trillion in increased healthcare costs and about $1.1 trillion in lost or reduced productivity due to millions of unplanned sick days. A healthy employee averages $1,320 per year in healthcare spending. This number spikes significantly for employees living with chronic conditions. The average annual spend for an employee with one chronic condition is $4,668 and $10,830 for an employee with more than one condition.

One of the most expensive condition for employers and employees is diabetes. Over 10% of the American population is living with a type of diabetes. The American Diabetes Association observed a 26% increase in diabetes healthcare costs over the course of five years, bringing the total costs of diagnosed diabetes to $330 billion a year. Diabetes costs employers about $20 billion a year due to 57 million unplanned sick days and is the leading cause of death in the United States.

Supporting Employees with Chronic Conditions

So what is the best way to support employees who live with chronic conditions and help employers reduce healthcare costs? Offering a chronic care benefit can help ease the financial strain for employers and their employees. By offering such programs, employers can help fill the gaps in traditional healthcare coverage and provide additional support to employees who need it the most. In a recent survey, up to 73% of employees are interested in participating in a chronic care program offered through their company. Chronic care benefits also serve as a competitive tool to attract and retain top talent.

Empowering employees is not limited to work performance and career growth, but it also means providing them with tools to better manage their health. This is part of what we do at One Drop through our chronic condition management program for employers. We give your employees the self-care tools and expert advice they need to make better decisions about their health. One Drop’s AI-powered adaptive support experience is tailored first to a person’s chronic conditions, then adjusted over time based on new health data and interactions with our mobile app. Powered by over 12 billion health data points from over 2.5 million users worldwide, glucose predictions and real-time advice guide healthy decisions in the moment. Our certified health specialists offer proactive support via live text chat in the app. We also provide participants with interactive learning modules and customized goals to create a personalized educational experience.

**pulled from onedrop.today/blogs/enterprise/the-impact-of-chronic-conditions-in-the-workplace