Wellness Controversy: Linking Premium Costs to Health Standards

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Can you discuss some of the wellness incentives your company has innovated to counter rising health insurance costs?

We have not seen a financial burden due to rising health insurance cost, but our wellness program has initiated several incentives to keep employees involved.  Some of these wellness incentives include a reduction on their monthly insurance premiums, if they hit certain health standards.  On top of that, we also reward those who complete the screening and HRA, with their Health Savings Account contribution.  Employees have the opportunity to meet with myself and/or my assistant to go through goals, set exercise programs, help with a nutrition program, and anything they would want to focus on.  This is all free for the employee and is a great resource!  We also have onsite boot camps and Pilates classes that are free for employees to attend and it is convenient for them to participate since it is done at work.    

What kind of financial implications have these programs had on your business?

In the next few years we will really be able to see how far we have come with our health care costs.  Right now, we have been trending very well, compared to where we were at last year.  This is due to the fact that we, the Wellness Team, have continued to be the faces of health and wellness for our associates.  We are always communicating as to why we are doing this program, but most importantly it comes down to: ‘Why Are You Doing This?’  This helps the employee stay accountable for his or her actions and keeps them on track with their personal life and health goals. 

Do you find that any of these resonate with your workforce as being controversial, and if so, how do you manage this?

We have not had any controversy over any of the implementations.  Of course we do have a couple employees who feel this is ‘unfair’ to give them a premium addition if they are unhealthy.  Coming from myself, the wellness coordinator, I encourage them to take advantage of all the opportunities they can partake in to be on their way to a healthier lifestyle.  It is not my job to cause stress due to a financial burden with insurance premiums.  I want to make it very clear for employees that they CAN control their own health and that I am here for them to make that happen.      

How do you evaluate the success of premier status programs?

There are 6 health standards that employees have to meet in order to receive a monthly premium reduction.  Our vendor, Bravo Wellness, takes all the results and sends us an aggregate report where our company is at as a whole.  It also compares results from last year to this year, which we will see in January 2012.  If employees do not reach a certain standard, they can improve any of them by 10% to be considered premier status.    

In what ways do you incentivize participation in these programs?

One of the biggest incentives for participation in our programs is Paid  Time Off (PTO).  Employees can earn up to two extra paid days off of work every year for reaching a certain about of points, by participating in programs.  Other incentives include, free blood screenings, free boot camps, free massages, free rewards such as pedometers, insurance premium reductions, etc. 

Can you discuss some of the best practices and change management issues in implementing “controversial” programs?

The best practice that we implemented was our Communication Strategy.  With all emails, flyers, handouts, etc. we were always asking ourselves who are we targeting, and making sure we were asking them ‘What is the purpose?’ and ‘Why Should I?’  The constant reminder of why, will be the biggest payoff for an employer and the associates.  We are all familiar with the donkey and the carrot: to influence behavior change it seems as though we try to offer a combination of rewards and disincentives.  Although if you take a step back and realize how key communication is, you will find out that telling individuals why they are doing it or why they need to do is the chance of actually making an impact, might be greater than just telling them to “do it, or else!”  Along with communication strategies, we made sure to focus on being proactive, and utilizing our own expertise.  In being proactive we got out to all employees twice in the year and let them check their health and help with any behavior change goals.  With 800 employees, and various bank locations, this was something that had not been done in the past.  

Contributor:   Melissa Makey

Melissa Makey has been with Union Bank & Trust for a year.  As the Wellness Coordinator, she provides great understanding in all aspects of wellness for her associates.  Coming on board in such a short amount of time, there has been much accomplished.  With her fitness background, she started a UBT Boot Camp for all employees, and conducts personal consultations to those who would like guidance.  Also, with the implementation of Wellness Standards, she has taken on some of the responsibilities of making sure health benefits are clearly educated and understood by all employees.  She strives to help employees achieve personal goals, and continues to find new and inspirational ideas to keep associates proactive with the Wellness Program.     

Prior to joining Union Bank & Trust, Melissa worked at Victory Pilates as a Certified Pilates Instructor.  At Victory, she conducted many classes, workshops, and postural analysis.  Not only did she design workout programs for youth involvement, individual and group clients, but a lot of focus was on assisting in designing incentive programs for clients, and creating promotions for the business.

Melissa has a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science, with a minor in Health Promotion, and an Endorsement in Coaching, from Concordia University in Seward, Neb.  While at Concordia, she was a member of the Women’s Basketball team and was awarded NAIA All-American for two years in a row.  Her leadership and motivation helped the team to the final eight teams in the NAIA National Championship Tournament for two straight years.

Her and her husband, Casey, also a strong advocate in Health Education, live in Seward, Nebraska.  

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