Dive Brief:
- An estimated 50 million Americans have autoimmune diseases, yet these chronic conditions “don’t always show visible symptoms, making them particularly challenging to recognize and understand in a workplace setting,” according to a report released Thursday by WellTheory, a virtual care program, and the Integrated Benefits Institute, a national nonprofit organization focused on employee health and productivity programs.
- The report analyzed the health and productivity effects of five major autoimmune conditions — rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel diseases, psoriasis, and thyroid autoimmune disorders — and found that from those autoimmune diseases alone, healthcare costs and lost work time per 1,000 U.S. workers amounts to $580,000 annually. Costs are even higher when the value of lost productivity from early exits from the workforce, turnover and presenteeism are considered, the report said.
- Roughly 7% of the working adults surveyed said they receive treatment for one of the five autoimmune conditions analyzed; researchers said this figure “underrepresents the true prevalence of these conditions in society, as there are an estimated 100+ autoimmune conditions and they are significantly underdiagnosed and untreated.”
Dive Insight:
“There is no known cure for autoimmune diseases, but treatments can help manage symptoms. Employers can play a crucial role by providing benefits programs and flexible, supportive and inclusive work environments that enable employees to perform at their best, despite their conditions,” the report found.
Some interventions workplaces use to support workers with autoimmune disorders include: flexible work arrangements and schedules, ergonomic accommodations, environmental adjustments such as improving air quality, job modifications and task reassignments, manager training and co-worker education programs, and health and wellness programs, per the report.
Workers with certain autoimmune diseases lose upward of 73 calendar days per year due to short-term disability, costing companies about $27,000 per patient in economic value, the report said. For long-term disability, that climbs to upward of 287 calendar days per year in lost work days, or an estimated $82,000 per patient.
“Autoimmune diseases are one of the most overlooked drivers of employer healthcare and disability costs,” Jim Huffman, president of IBI, said in a news release. “Despite affecting millions of employees, benefits programs often fail to address their true financial and productivity impact. Forward-thinking employers have an opportunity to intervene earlier, improve employee well-being, and reduce long-term costs.”
The report used data from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s Medical, Expenditure Panel Survey, IBI’s Health and Productivity Benchmarking System and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics program and National Compensation Survey.
