Well sure it is working as there is more monetary responsibility for the employee, a no brainer here. Those who don't meet the standards can sign up for weight loss and other health management classes through United. What if one has a condition that can't be improved? How do we answer the call here? It states that items like cancer are not considered but we all know as data mining continues, it will have some impact as the process grows. That is how all business is done today, based on facts and statistics through data mining and the drill down of cost versus return on investment will eventually drill down to the last ultimate penny to be counted, or employee to be evaluated for their return on investment for their state of health, perhaps not the for real job one may do. BD
In my own opinion, there is a lack of sincerity somewhere along the line here, we want you to be healthy, not because we really care about your well being - you just cost us money if you are not healthy, and the fine for not adhering to the rules we have put in place, you pay more, and the rules can change any time too! BD
Would $2,000 a year be enough to entice workers to live a healthier lifestyle — and would efforts to get them to do so result in slower health insurance cost increases in future years?
Still, managers of the Swiss Village Retirement Community — one of the first employers to try such a program — say they think it's working.
Three years ago, the non-profit organization in Berne, Ind., switched its 120 health insurance eligible employees from a $500 annual deductible on their health insurance to $2,500.
To help offset the cost increase, workers were offered a supplemental policy that would grant them credits worth up to $2,000 if they kept their weight in check, didn't smoke and met specific standards for blood pressure and cholesterol.
"We always wondered if there isn't something we can do to get people to take their health care seriously," says Daryl Martin, executive director of the continuing care retirement community.
The cost of providing health care dropped from 11.5% of wages before the program to 9.1% in the first year and have fallen to 7.5% since, Martin says.
Because of that, the amount workers pay in premiums has not increased in three years, he says. Part of the drop came from switching to the high deductible, says Martin, who also credits better health among employees for the rest.
Related information: Read about the tax advantages a company receives for the program, so again, is there a human outreach to get healthy, or just another way to save a buck. Who runs companies like this, the payors? BD
0 comments :
Post a Comment