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Undoubtedly any organization considering launching a results-based wellness program gives serious deliberation time to the question “How are my employees going to react to this?” There is no question that the allure of reducing health benefit costs by 8 – 12% is significant, particularly in today’s economic environment – but really… can you survive telling your employees that if they are obese and/or they smoke – they are going to pay more than their skinny tobacco free co-worker? Many benefits professionals tremble at the very thought of it! Truthfully, every organization needs to carefully think through this issue. Here are a few items to be aware of as you consider the pros and cons for a successful wellness incentive program:
1) Executive support is essential. The Bravo Wellness concept of reducing health care costs for employees with healthy lifestyles and/or raising costs for those who make poor choices is much more than a benefit design adjustment. This is a message that affects the culture of your organization and it needs to be supported at the top. If your organization preaches things like “If it’s not measured, it’s not important.” If your company claims to be results-oriented, embraces pay for performance programs and tends to reward ideas that impact the bottom line more than simply rewarding tenure and perfect attendance, there is a great chance that the Bravo Wellness model will fit your culture extraordinarily well.
2) They really do “get it”. Obviously this sounds self-serving coming from the person trying to sell you something but honestly- they get it! Bad drivers pay more for auto insurance. Smokers pay more for life insurance. Brick homes cost less to insure than wooden structures. As consumers, your employees are used to answering questions that determine how much coverage they qualify for and how much it will cost them. As we help you explain the connection between poor lifestyle choices and your cost of providing them with benefits – they get it! Even employees who do not like what this change means to them rarely state that they think it’s unfair, and our customers will tell you first-hand that the number of employees applauding the program always outweigh the number of naysayers. Oh, and it’s legal! Congress spent eight years deliberating various ways to construct this type of benefit design. Tens of thousands of public comments were reviewed before the final rules were passed. It’s going to be ok if you stay between the lines!
3) You can share the wealth! One of my first clients has now accumulated such a surplus in their claims funding account that they are making a discretionary extra contribution to everyone’s 401K. It is a thank-you for embracing the program and improving your health. Others have used their savings to pay for or subsidize gym memberships or to reduce health care contributions. You are not just keeping costs lower for the employer. Lower cost for employers means lower costs for employees over time.
4) Timing is everything. One of the biggest mistakes many employers make is approving the decision to implement a results based program and then waiting several weeks or even months to tell the employees that it’s going to happen. Imagine learning in October that a Body Mass Index below 30 will earn you a $50/month reduction off of your premium contribution beginning 1/1/2010. If you have to lose a pound or two, no big deal, but what if you need to lose 10, 15 or 20? If they had told you this in June or July when they made the decision to proceed with this model, it would have been a very achievable goal. Now you have to live wrapped in Saran Wrap or starve yourself for a month! Do your employees a favor. Even if you don’t yet know the final financial consequence, if you know that you are moving down this path – tell them soon! They will grumble and complain for a few days and then many of them will get busy. It is really fun to watch when one or two start losing weight , or they quit smoking , and everyone’s attitude changes. Lives begin to transform.
If you have not yet requested a Bravo Wellness proposal or you know you are moving forward but you think you have several months to nail things down, contact us today! We can help with preliminary communications and several other strategies for you to experience a smooth transition.
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Congress is planning incentives for healthy habits
Check out our website for the full article: http://bravowell.com/wellness-incentives-news/category/industry-news/
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How to eat healthfully on a smaller food budget
Thomas Ondrey/excerpt from The Plain Dealer
As people scale back spending, a resurgence in home cooking has been declared the food trend of 2009.
You might think the shift is a healthful one. But some say a bad economy actually fuels worse eating habits. They fear stressed budgets will push obesity rates even higher, putting more people at risk for Type 2 diabetes.
It’s simple economics. Cheap food is abundant, and it’s often loaded with calories, fat and sugar. Prepared entrees fill freezer cases, and fast-food value meals call out from every corner. Between 1982 and 2008, the inflation-adjusted cost of these highly processed foods made from high-calorie commodities such as wheat, corn and livestock dropped 10 percent or more, said a recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Eating well on a lean budget
• Read grocery store ads and plan meals according to whats on sale.
• Cut back on soft drinks and snacks, which are expensive and high in calories.
• Stretch beef or poultry by using it in casseroles, sandwiches, tacos or in a stir-fry.
• Buy store brands, which can save you 25 percent to 50 percent.
• Cook large batches on the weekends for meals throughout the week.
Source: Akron Childrens Hospital
During the same period, the cost of fruits and vegetables increased by 50 percent, after inflation.
“Even in good times, we always hear over and over how it costs so much to eat healthy,” says Dyhann Rhodes, a nurse educator for the Diabetes Association of Greater Cleveland. “I think we’re seeing that exacerbated the further things go down with the economy.”
Rhodes is one of those concerned about hard times having an impact on the worsening rates for Type 2 diabetes, which is tied to weight gain and is already said to be at epidemic levels. One in four Ohio adults is considered obese, and about 8 percent have diabetes. Most states experienced increases in both categories from 2007 to 2008, says the nonprofit Trust for America’s Health.
Rhodes’ concern is echoed in the February American Medical Association journal article. It says that economic recession induces weight gain, as people turn more to cheaper, high-calorie foods.
While there’s no proof that has happened since the current recession started in 2007, research has shown a clear connection among poverty, poor-quality diets and weight gain.
But research also has shown that eating healthfully is affordable for most households, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A November report by the USDA’s economic research arm said many consumers don’t buy healthful foods such as fruits and vegetables because they perceive them to be too expensive. In other words, “subjective notions about affordability undermine some healthy food choices,” the report says.
What it often comes down to is choices.
The bad stuff that goes into unhealthful food — fat, sugar and refined grain — is cheaper than whole grains, fish and fresh vegetables. But most households can still afford fresh produce and lean protein, though it might require forgoing snacks and soda, says Dr. Eileen Seeholzer, director of the weight-management clinic at MetroHealth Medical Center.
“When you get rid of steak, you get rid of restaurant meals, you get rid of pop, the vegetables don’t tip the cost an equal amount,” she says. “We tell our patients you vote with your feet. It’s all about priorities.”
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