Employers should keep an eye on whether their Gen X employees are getting checkups and taking their blood pressure pills.

That’s the advice of Businessolver, a company that helps employers and benefits advisors communicate with employer plan participants about benefits and wellness programs.

“Gen X stands out as a cohort to watch closely,” the Businessolver analysts say in the new report. “They report the lowest levels of self-rated health, with only 50% describing themselves as healthy.”

About 7% of Gen X workers have health problems serious enough that they are preparing to undergo surgery this year, according to the analysts.

Meanwhile, workers in the baby boom generation are all ages 61 or older, but 59% of them classify themselves as healthy.

See also: Gen X is lagging on savings despite nearing retirement

Gen X could drive healthcare costs higher with illness, more

If the Businessolver analysts are correct, neglected Gen X health problems could drive up health plan claim costs this year.

Analysts at Businessolver created the firm’s new benefits report based on interactions with 19 million employer plan participants, 5.7 million AI interactions with the plan participants, 2 million employee enrollment survey responses, and 93,000 benefits literacy survey responses.

Prescription drugs: About 75% of boomers say they take two or fewer medications, and Just 26% of the boomers say they take three or more medications.

Only 67% of Gen X workers say they take two or fewer medications, and 33% say they take three or more medications.

Benefits literacy: Gen X workers received an average score of 47% out of 100% on the Businessolver benefits literacy survey.

This compares with an average score of 46% for the boomer workers who took the survey, 41% for the millennials and 30% for the Generation Z workers.

About 29% of the Gen Xers opted into text-messaging reminder systems. Opt-in rates for other generations ranged from 16% to 27%.

Analysts: Gen X workers need anticipatory outreach

“For employers and HR leaders focused on creating a benefits experience that feels supportive before stress sets in, Gen X is a critical population for anticipatory outreach,” the analysts write.

Employers should consider stepping in and making sure they clear away obstacles to Gen X workers getting preventive care, or even nudging workers in that age group toward doctors’ offices, the analysts say.

This article was originally published on BenefitsPRO, a sister site of HR Executive. For more content like this delivered to your inbox, sign up for BenefitsPRO newsletters here.

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