Taking Action to Shrink America's $147 Billion Obesity Costs -- Virgin HealthMiles Advocates That Obesity Prevention Starts in the Workplace

BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - July 28, 2009) - As America struggles with healthcare reform and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issues a new report stating that medical costs of treating obesity-related diseases may have soared as high as $147 billion in 2008, doubling over a decade, it is clear that the time for intervention is now.

Chris Boyce, CEO of Virgin HealthMiles, a leading provider of health and productivity programs that reward individuals for getting healthy, states that the workplace is the ideal place to start that intervention.

"Just as America has chosen to become unhealthy as communities, we can become more active and healthy as communities," said Boyce. "This starts in the workplace where most adult Americans spend at least one third of their weekdays working side-by-side with colleagues and studies show a direct correlation between a person's health and their social ties. By supporting health and productivity programs within the workplace and encouraging wellness through communities the way the Virgin HealthMiles program does, the U.S. can reduce the demand that's straining our healthcare system, and better contain healthcare costs."

The recent study by researchers at RTI International, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention revealed that the prevalence of obesity rose 37% between 1998 and 2006, and medical costs climbed to about 9.1% of all U.S. medical costs. Obese people spent 42% more than people of normal weight on medical costs in 2006, a difference of $1,429, the study found.

Boyce continued, "In any other market, there are clear causal links between individual behavior and costs. In auto insurance, if I get a speeding ticket, my premiums go up. As a society, we are not yet broadly measuring or rewarding the good personal behaviors that avoid long term chronic care. Individuals need to accept personal responsibility by becoming more physically active, and workplace health and productivity programs are successful at fostering this type of personal responsibility."

Virgin HealthMiles provides incentive-based healthy lifestyle programs to corporations and government entities in the U.S. In partnership with concerned organizations, the company will be launching National Employee Wellness Month in September 2009 to highlight the critical role a proactive approach toward wellness plays in curbing healthcare costs and increasing employee morale and productivity in the workplace.

To speak with Mr. Boyce or for more information about National Employee Wellness Month, contact Kathy Wilson at kwilson@tieronepr.com or 781-652-0499.

Contact Information: Media Contact: Kathy Wilson P: 781-652-0499