September 9, 2014

The $20 book that companies are betting could save them $100,000 or more

From Fortune

The $20 book that companies are betting could save them $100,000 or more
People want to live the life they choose today and worry about the consequences later.

CBS, Michael Dell, and others are giving David Agus’s A Short Guide to a Long Life to their employees to encourage good health.

by  Caroline Little  @FortuneMagazine  JANUARY 17, 2014

Dr. David Agus admits he is not good at treating advanced diseases. A cancer doctor and author of the No. 1 New York Times bestseller The End Of Illness, Agus says he is tired of telling patients that he has run out of ways to combat their chronic condition. Instead, Agus would like to prevent these diseases from happening in the first place. His new book A Short Guide to a Long Life explores the simple idea that a healthy tomorrow starts with good habits today.

His message, it appears, is resonating in corporate America. Companies such as CBS  CBS -0.05% , Paramount, and Anthem Blue Cross, along with Dell CEO Michael Dell, are buying the guide en masse for their employees in the hopes that improving employees’ health today could save the companies money down the road.

The illustrated health book offers 65 tips — ranging from getting a flu shot to eating more fish to working on your posture — that Agus suggests can delay, and in some cases entirely prevent, chronic diseases ranging from obesity to diabetes to dementia.
You’ve probably heard most of the suggestions at least once from your mother, a concerned friend, or a busybody colleague. But most of us haven’t incorporated them into our lives. As Agus explains, preventive health care can be a hard sell. People want to live the life they choose today and worry about the consequences later.

That outlook is partly to blame for not only the prevalence of chronic disease in America, but also for problems in the health care system. Roughly 75% of health care dollars are spent treating chronic diseases, which are the cause of death for seven out of every 10 Americans. In total, such diseases cost the economy $1 trillion annually both in medical costs and lost productivity, creating a significant issue for employers providing health insurance for their employees.

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To your health and wealth!


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