Additional Notes from Jim Hagedorn on Cutting-Edge Wellness

Here's a link to Business Week and some additional notes from Jim Hagedorn, featuring the Scotts CEO talking about the perils of smoking, rising health-care costs, and the controversial nature of his wellness program. One clip:

What's your view of the health-care situation in America?

How can you live in this country and not think we have significant health issues? I told my people that you cannot expect us, the company, to just continue to pay these kinds of increases and not say to our people you are partly responsible. There were a lot of pissed-off people. But I knew we needed to do something about health care. Everybody I think feels strongly that smoking and obesity are a major issue in this country. Nobody can say that's not true. Government and the health industry are not fixing this. The people that need to deal with this, and can deal with this right now, are the people who are paying the bill--and that's the employers of the American workers. Why aren't the American employers dealing aggressively with these issues of wellness?

Great read and a glimpse of the future....

Comments

[kathy camiliere]

NO EMPLOYER CAN TELL AN EMPLOYEE WHAT TO DO IN HIS PERSONAL LIFE. SMOKING IS NOT AGAINST THE LAW NO IS BEING OVERWEIGHT OR BLACK OR WHITE SPANISH ECT. THIS IS PREDUICE PLAN AND CLEAR.