Wellness programs are increasing in popularity as companies grow more determined to curb the soaring costs of providing health insurance for employees. To encourage healthy behaviors, firms are offering everything from free yoga classes to weight-loss support groups. While there have been some positive results from these programs, smoking cessation remains a particular challenge. But a recent study by two University of Pennsylvania experts found that cash can be a powerful incentive to help smokers quit. Kevin Volpp is the director of the Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics at Penn’s Leonard Davis institute as well a professor of health-care management at Wharton. Scott Halpern is a professor of medicine, epidemiology, medical ethics and health policy at the Perelman School of Medicine. He is also the founding director of the Palliative and Advanced Illness Research Center at Penn. Their paper is titled, “A Pragmatic Trial of E-Cigarettes, Incentives, and Drugs for Smoking Cessation.” Volpp and Halpern recently joined the Knowledge@Wharton radio show on SiriusXM to talk about what their research means for companies looking to up the ante on smoking and other detrimental health habits.
