National Business Group on Health Honors 64 U.S. Employers With "Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles(R)" Awards

WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwired - Jun 17, 2015) - The National Business Group on Health today honored 64 U.S. employers for their ongoing commitment to promoting healthy work environments and encouraging workers to live healthier lifestyles. The honored employers, including seven first-time winners, were presented with "2015 Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles®" awards at the Business Group's Institute on Innovation in Workforce Well-being Leadership Summit held in Washington, DC.

Now in its 11th year, the Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles® awards recognizes those employers that have responded to the urgent need to improve their employees' health, productivity and quality of life. The underlying goal of the program is to encourage all employers to take action.

Brian Marcotte, President and CEO of the National Business Group on Health, commented, "The investment that companies are making in the health and well-being of their employees and families is impressive. A healthier and more productive workforce not only contributes to employee engagement and retention but can have a positive impact on business performance. We are very pleased to honor these employers and look forward to their continued leadership and innovation."

LuAnn Heinen, Vice President of the National Business Group on Health, who has overseen the awards program since its inception, commented, "We congratulate this group of elite companies that are making a difference every day in improving the health and overall well-being of their employees. They are to be commended for their commitment to promoting healthy work environments and for their innovation in developing outstanding programs for employees that encourage good health and well-being."

Winners of the 2015 Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles® awards were honored in one of two categories: Platinum, for exemplary workplace well-being programs, cultures and results; and Gold, for making cultural and environmental changes and developing comprehensive programs that support employees' healthy lifestyle goals. Twenty-six employers were honored with platinum awards; 38 received gold awards.

Additionally, Johnson & Johnson, IBM Corporation and Unilever were presented with Global Distinction awards in recognition of their efforts to enhance the physical, psychological and emotional health, well-being and productivity of global employees and their dependents. Johnson & Johnson in the United Kingdom was selected for a Global Distinction award in the developed economies; IBM Corporation in India and Unilever in Brazil were each selected for a Global Distinction award in the emerging markets category.

The National Business Group on Health also presented a special recognition Best Communication Tactics award to BNY Mellon.

The winners in each category are:

PLATINUM

Accenture, LLC
Aetna
Anthem, Inc.
Aramark
Baptist Health South Florida
Baystate Health*
Cardinal Health
CNO Financial Group
Delta Air Lines
Eaton
Fidelity Investments
Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System
Geisinger Health System
Health Care Service Corporation
Hewlett-Packard
Humana Inc.
IBM Corporation
Johnson & Johnson
Marriott International, Inc.
MasterCard
NextEra Energy, Inc.
The Hartford
Unilever US, Inc.
UnitedHealth Group
UPMC and UPMC Health Plan
Zurich North America

GOLD

American Express
Assurant, Inc.
BD
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Booz Allen Hamilton*
BP America
Carolinas HealthCare System
Cerner Corporation
Cigna
Compass Group
CVS Health
Erie Insurance
FCA US LLC
General Board of Pension and Health Benefits of The United Methodist Church
Healthways
JLL *
JP Morgan Chase & Co.
Kaiser Permanente
Kimberly-Clark Corporation
Kohl's Department Stores*
Lockheed Martin Corporation
Nielsen*
OhioHealth*
Paychex, Inc.
Pitney Bowes
SABIC
Sanofi US
Sprint
T. Rowe Price Group*
Target Corporation
Texas Health Resources
The Boeing Company
The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.
Union Pacific
Vanderbilt University and Medical Center
Walgreens Boots Alliance
Willis North America Inc.
* Denotes first time winner

New Focus for 2016 Awards
Starting next year, the Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles® Awards program will transition from focusing on the physical health and well-being of employees to encompassing the broader definition of well-being. Since the program's inception, the criteria have focused primarily on physical health and well-being; however, beginning in 2016, requirements for recognition will explicitly address well-being as it is currently and more broadly defined in the large employer market. Financial, community, and social well-being; a greater emphasis on resilience and emotional well-being; and approaches to linking health and well-being to business performance will be incorporated into award criteria.

About the National Business Group on Health®
The National Business Group on Health is the nation's only non-profit organization devoted exclusively to representing large employers' perspective on national health policy issues and helping companies optimize business performance through health improvement, innovation and health care management. The Business Group leads initiatives to address the most relevant health care issues facing employers today and enables human resource and benefit leaders to learn, share and leverage best practices from the most progressive companies.  Business Group members, which include 71 Fortune 100 companies, provide health coverage for more than 50 million U.S. workers, retirees and their families. For more information, visit www.businessgrouphealth.org.