There must have been a fast-talking wellness plan salesman going through the country last year. The number of companies reporting that they offer such plans leapt 11 percent between 2011 and 2013.

At least that's the word from the 2013 Aflac WorkForces Report. The study, conducted by Research Now in January, calculated responses from 1,884 benefits decision-makers and 5,299 employees in the U.S. Mixed in among the "tell-me-something-I-already-know" findings were gems like the jump in the number of companies offering wellness plans.

In 2011, the Aflac survey reported that 30 percent of respondents offered some type of wellness option for employees. The latest survey said 44 percent of companies now have one. Further, Aflac said that companies identified as "best companies to work for" are far more likely to offer such wellness options as on-site fitness centers (73 percent), subsidies for an off-site fitness membership (63 percent) and financial incentives to participate in a wellness program (55 percent).

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Dan Cook

Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.