By Evan Falchuk

Did you know that for every dollar spent on a sick employee’s health care, there is up to another $20 in lost productivity? That’s what a team of researchers found in a major study published this month.

Sick employees are distracted, and not as productive as they could be. Lost productivity is a hidden cost that doesn’t go away, even when the government pays for health care.

But do we need a study to tell us this? Doesn’t everyone know that a sick person isn’t as productive as a healthy one?

It’s not as well understood as you might think. In our employer survey only 5% of employers rated productivity as their top priority for health care, and only a quarter put it in their top 3. The data say employers need to rethink those priorities.