McKesson Corp.: Optimas Silver Winner for Benefits

Health care costs in the United States are growing nearly three times faster than the average salary while Americans’ overall health continues to decline. In response to this conundrum, McKesson Corp., the oldest and largest health care services company in the nation, rolled out its “You. Even Better” program to provide its employees with resources they can use to improve their health and realize their full wellness potential.

The program’s goal is to translate the desire to help employees improve their health into specific tactics that will drive measurable improvements in the workforce. McKesson offers access to free preventive care, on-site fitness classes, free flu shots and free Weight Watchers and smoking cessation programs. An outcome-based rewards system is in place and offers $900 for achieving silver status and $1,260 for achieving gold status. To date, 58 percent of employees have achieved silver status or above, and 32.5 percent of employees have achieved gold status.

For its efforts to improve employee health with its wellness program, McKesson is the winner of the silver 2014 Optimas Award for Benefits.