August 13, 2025

How a New Approach to Well-being is Revolutionizing Health Costs

Well

From Las Vegas Elevators to Employee Health: The Power of Prevention

When Gary Loveman, Chairman & CEO of Well, managed 11 properties in the bustling heart of Las Vegas, his responsibilities extended to hundreds of crucial systems: elevators, escalators, and HVAC. Each one was a lifeline, silently moving people and regulating environments. He faced critical decisions with these systems—decisions that offer a powerful metaphor for how employee benefits buyers approach health today. Should he slash preventive maintenance costs and scramble for the cheapest fix when inevitable breakdowns occur? Or should he invest wisely in prevention and upkeep, addressing repairs only when age and consistent use finally outpace meticulous care?

The Costly Imbalance: Repair Over Prevention

This very same dilemma plays out on a far grander scale in the world of health. Employers collectively spend a staggering amount on “repairs”. According to Aon’s Health Value Initiative, the average cost of employer-sponsored healthcare coverage in the U.S is expected to increase 9%, surpassing $16,000 per employee in 2025 unless employers take action to reduce it. This colossal sum goes towards addressing the consequences of illness, from emergency room visits to chronic disease management. Yet, the investment in prevention often pales in comparison, frequently less than $3,500 per person, according to the McKinsey Institute on Health. While this might not encompass all preventative measures, such as specific screenings covered by insurance, it highlights the generally lower direct investment employers make in dedicated well-being prevention programs compared to their overall healthcare spending.

A tremendous amount of effort is poured into optimizing healthcare after the fact. We see this in the relentless pursuit of efficient provider networks, the meticulous structuring of prescription drug formularies, and the implementation of incentive-laden deductibles and copays. While these efforts are important, they fundamentally operate under the assumption that the incidence and progression of illness are a given. It’s akin to finding the most efficient way to hail a repairman after an elevator has already broken down, rather than preventing the breakdown in the first place.

The Frustration with Traditional Well-being

Part of this imbalance stems from a widespread frustration with existing well-being programs. For too long, these initiatives have struggled to deliver meaningful improvements in health. They often face chronic challenges: low participation, high attrition rates, and adverse selection, where those who already have healthy habits are the most likely to engage. This leaves a significant gap, particularly among employees who could benefit the most but struggle to achieve their own health improvement goals. According to The Lancet, 27% of total healthcare spending was largely due to five risk factors: high body mass index, high systolic blood pressure, high fasting plasma glucose, dietary risks, and tobacco smoke. It’s demoralizing for both employees and the organizations investing in these programs when the needle barely moves.

A New Path to “Well”: The Power of Daily, Personalized Engagement

Fortunately, the landscape is shifting. A new approach to well-being has emerged, demonstrating substantial benefits not only in health improvement but also in cost reduction. This innovative model has successfully overcome the persistent hurdles that plagued earlier programs.

Imagine one quarter of your workforce choosing—every single day—to invest a few minutes in healthier decisions that they might otherwise skip. That is the Well effect. We see an average of 25 percent of employees engage with Well daily, 365 days a year, through micro-interactions. Those tiny, AI-guided nudges compound into meaningful change: lower A1C values, reduced stress and anxiety, fewer unnecessary ER visits, healthier BMIs,  and, ultimately, lower medical spend.

Every interaction returns fresh data to our platform. We analyze the full population daily for micro-deviations—the subtle uptick in back-pain complaints that precedes a spike in MRI orders, or the slight drop in GLP-1 adherence that could snowball into higher cardiometabolic risk. When a pattern emerges, our Intervention Design Lab comprised of data scientists, clinicians, behavioral economists, outcomes analysts, and health equity specialists, can spin up a new intervention in days, not quarters. Those interventions are instantly embedded in member journeys and enhanced by concierge outreach, so emerging cost drivers are addressed before they mature.

Tangible Results: Impact Across Our Fortune 50 Book of Business

Our commitment to delivering exceptional results isn’t confined to isolated success stories. We consistently drive significant, measurable improvements across our entire Fortune 50 client base. These aren’t just incremental gains; they represent substantial shifts in health outcomes and cost efficiency.

Consider these impactful results:

  • 6% direct medical cost savings

  • 49% of members starting with fewer than 8,000 steps daily have increased their steps by 500+ since joining Well

  • Achieved 86% adherence to preventive health screening guidelines, significantly higher than the 63.5% U.S. population average

  • 41.4% clinically meaningful improvement in stress and 31.1% clinically meaningful improvement in anxiety.

  • 72.1% of hypertensive members achieve controlled blood pressure, compared to just 16% of the U.S. population.

These outcomes underscore our proven ability to deliver quantifiable, impactful results at scale, transforming health and driving significant value for leading organizations.

Want to learn how Well is addressing the widespread adoption of preventive well-being engagement for large employers?

Visit well.co to learn more.