Recent stories, one from Massachusetts and another from Texas, point out some ways that independents and chains are looking to promote the health and wellness of employees without any ill effects on bottom line performance.
In the Bay State, independent merchants are looking to purchase group insurance through the Retailers Association of Massachusetts.
"We're hoping that by bringing together a large group of people, a diverse group, that we'll be able to get insurance at a rate that's equivalent to what our large competitors are paying," Eric Michelson, owner of Michelson's Shoes in Lexington, MA told the Boston Herald.
Supporters of cooperative programs such as those being developed in Massachusetts say that the mere size of such plans will result in lower prices to employers and employees.
"We don't know yet what the savings will be," Tom O'Rourke, president of the Massachusetts Association of Chambers of Commerce, told the Herald, "but we know that any savings are better than [what] we have now.
In Texas, H-E-B recently announced the opening of the H-E-B Partner Health Center, which will provide employees and dependents, a variety of healthcare services with fees as low as $10 for common ailments.
The center will provide a variety of educational and cooking classes to help H-E-B's employees live healthier lives.
"This Center is part of a comprehensive program to improve the health of our employees and their families through access to high quality and efficient healthcare," Craig Boyan, president of H-E-B, said in a statement published in the San Antonio Express-News. "As the largest private employer in the state of Texas, we have a unique opportunity to help those who want to make a change for themselves and their families."