Businesses pay hefty costs for employees with diabetes

Uncontrolled diabetes is costing companies both in Louisiana and nationwide an average of $20,000 in medical costs per employee per year, while controlled cases of the disease cost about $10,000 per worker annually, says Dr. Tim Church, director of preventive medicine at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center. Speaking this morning at the Providence Corporate Wellness Forum, Church explained why employers should care about addressing diabetes and the chronic diseases it causes. “Diabetes affects everything,” Church says. “It is the nuclear bomb of health, which translates into extreme medical costs.” In Louisiana, 2 out of every 3 people are overweight or obese, which means they are 28 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. Church says companies that have implemented wellness programs aggressively targeting diabetes have seen a return on their investment of between $8 and $10 for every $1 invested. —Stephanie Riegel