Health as a complete state: The added value in work performance and healthcare costs

Objective: Health is widely believed to be more than the absence of illness, yet no previous research has documented whether organizations would benefit if occupational health moved beyond an "absence of illness" model. Methods: Cross-sectional data from the Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) study were used to compare productivity outcomes and health care use among individuals in (1) complete ill health, (2) incomplete health, and (3) complete health. Results: Across the outcomes, individuals characterized as being completely healthy reported the greatest productivity and the lowest health care use. By contrast individuals in incomplete health had intermediate levels on outcomes and individuals in complete ill-health had the poorest outcomes. Conclusion: There is additional benefit of moving occupational health priorities from health as the absence of illness to health as more than the absence of illness.