Where the 70% comes from
Combine CDC prevalence data on hypertension, prediabetes, untreated mental health conditions, and lifestyle risk factors (obesity, smoking, physical inactivity) and you get roughly 70% of working-age adults carrying at least one. The number is durable across age and income bands within the workforce.
Why employer programs traditionally underperform
Most employer wellness programs underperform because they incentivize the wrong unit. Step counts and gym memberships reach the people already motivated; chronic-disease risk concentrates in the people not currently engaged. Programs that move the number are the ones that lower the activation cost - free or near-free access to primary care, no-friction prescriptions, and accessible mental health support.
What measurably moves the number
- Free or no-cost primary care access (eliminates the copay barrier to a routine visit).
- Real prescription access at zero or near-zero cost for chronic-condition medications.
- Mental health support with no appointment friction (the EAP model is not it).
- Weight health programs that include clinical supervision and medication access where appropriate.
Why a SIMERP fits this job
A SIMERP-structured preventative care plan covers exactly the four buckets above and removes the cost barrier on each. The employer's tax savings fund the program, so the program does not show up as an expense line that gets cut in a budget cycle. The employee uses the benefits because they cost nothing, and the chronic-disease curve bends a little for every employee who actually engages.
What to measure
Aggregate utilization on the SIMERP-side, year-over-year change in primary care claim volume on the underlying plan, and ER-visit frequency are the three quickest indicators that the program is reaching the right cohort. EHP's reporting provides de-identified aggregates on all three.