SOUTH BEND — Insurance costs are a big deal right now for employers and employees everywhere. The rising problem of obesity is part of what is driving insurance rates through the roof. That's causing lots of companies to change their benefits programs and encourage employees to live healthier lifestyles.

WSBT sat down with the local trucking company Towne Air Freight to talk about the changes they've made to help deal with skyrocketing obesity rates.

"It costs more today out of pocket if you're unhealthy than it did a year ago," explained Human Resources Vice President Jerry Scott.

Business analysts say the main reason those numbers keep growing is the country's ever-rising obesity rate.

"If you don't take care of yourself, then obviously you're going to have higher expenses," said Joe Slevin, the business analyst for Towne Air Freight.

Corporate leaders at Towne Air Freight say the company's medical costs jumped $1,000,000 in 2002.

Those expenses caused them to take a closer look at what they could do to save money for themselves and their 1,000 employees.

"The vast majority of medical costs are driven off of lifestyle choices," Jerry Scott told WSBT. "I think the National Institutes of Health, the quote from them was, 'If Americans had normal weight, stopped smoking, stopped drinking to excess, 80 percent of health costs in America would disappear.'"

After lots of research, Towne Air Freight mapped out a 5-year plan to get from the basics of work site wellness to what they call the "cutting edge of health."

The company started by educating its employees about health and lifestyle choices. From there, it encouraged employees to get active. It also paid for programs like Weight Watchers and other fun inner office contests.

This year, each employee is required to take a health risk assessment to be on the company's medical plan. Towne Air Freight employees can also earn incentives for being healthy. The company allocated $500 for each employee to earn.

In the future, the trucking company will reward employees for achieving weight loss and health targets.

But corporate leaders know it's not necessarily easy to make changes like those.

"The biggest challenge is human beings are very captive of their habits," explained Human Resources Vice President Jerry Scott. "It's hard to move people to change their habits and their lifestyle."

But so far, the program appears to be working.

"Me and my boss here, we walk around the building at lunch time because if you do about seven laps around it's about 2 miles," said Towne Air Freight employee Jessica Swope.

Business analyst Joe Slevin said he started exercising 4-5 days a week.

The company is also entering a team in this year's Sunburst race. They plan to have 50-100 people on that team.

Visit our Why Weight? section for more information on the WSBT First Thing in the Morning crew's pledge to eat healthier and get in shape.