Do you ever feel like health care premiums and regulations are unraveling your business?

What about your family?  Are growing health care costs robbing you of your retirement savings or even a family vacation?

If so, welcome to the club.  Many companies and families are struggling today thanks to health care costs spiraling out of control, and the horizon does not look promising.  Small business owners and families have continued to struggle with one new change after another.  Costs go up. Benefits go down.  And stress goes through the roof.  This isn’t how the American dream is supposed to play out.

Over the last few years I’ve hired several fantastic new people, and they do great things for my companies. As a consequence, I face the challenge of health care costs that are many times what they used to be for new hires.  Frankly, I’d rather have more of this money to increase their pay or to simply have it back in the budget to run my companies.  I hear the same things from the clients and entrepreneurs in my coaching program, mainly that they could do so much more for their families or for their businesses if they weren’t being crushed by regulations and health care costs that are out of control.

If you, your family or your company are struggling with these same things, then I’m not telling you anything new.  It sucks.  So we could continue blaming the government or key people who have been instrumental in these changes and decisions.  In fact, I thought about including more on that in this month’s column, but I would need about twenty more pages.  And at the end of the day, it wouldn’t help us or our families or our businesses.  The only thing that will help us is taking the right actions to DO something about it.

Smart companies are realizing that they can use wellness programs to help lower health care costs.  REALLY smart companies are learning ways to build more engagement (even required participation) in wellness programs by making it part of their company’s culture.  These companies know that helping their staff with health and fitness improves the companies’ bottom line AND helps care for the people that are the backbone of the company itself.

Smart families are working out more and discussing health and fitness as a family.   REALLY smart families are finding activities they can share together so it’s more than just working out.  It’s a family thing.

There are many great choices for companies and families to take back some of the control over health care and related costs.  Tiger Rock Academy is one example that has been helping Lincoln and Omaha businesses and families do this for over 18 years now with Corporate Wellness Programs and programs for family members of all ages. Other fitness facilities and programs have followed suit and now offer many great options for businesses and families.  The private sector has done a fantastic job of overcoming a lot of governmental roadblocks handed to business.   So whenever we feel like complaining about why we are in the position we are—skip it! Instead do something about it!  Help your company, your staff and your families!

by Jeff Dousharm
President, Tiger Rock
402-570-1166

For more information on Health, Fitness and Safety, email Jeff Dousharm at Jeff@paradigmimpactgroup.com