Health experts are worried that employers underestimate the cost threat posed by increasingly unhealthy younger workers. Employers should take a hard look at what they can do to defuse these health care time bombs, says Michele Dodds, vice president for health and wellness at employee assistance and wellness company ComPsych.

“Looking at overall disability claims and other indicators, we’ve begun to see a stabilization with boomers, but not with Generation X and Generation Y,” Dodds says. The message has not reached them, she says. “They still see themselves as invincible.”

The upside is that this generation is, in Dodds’ words, “particularly good at sitting at the computer for hours and hours on end,” so communicating health information using the Web, text messaging and instant messaging is a very effective approach.

Employers also may want to tailor incentives to the sensibilities of younger workers, who, Dodds says, want good behavior rewarded immediately with cash and prizes – not with discounts on health insurance and gym memberships.

A lack of urgency worries health experts, who say young workers – and some employers – live in the false belief that because of their age, young workers are not at risk for chronic illness. “They’re young enough that they’re just going to cost a lot before they die,” Dodds says. “Don’t kid yourself: The poor health habits of a 28 year old may soon turn into diabetes.”