WASHINGTON, and BLOOMFIELD, Conn., Oct. 8, 2007 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/
-- Although rising health care costs are a primary concern among America's
local governments, most jurisdictions do not offer preventive and disease
management programs targeting their stated top health issues, according to
a survey of local governments released today by ICMA, the premier local
government leadership and management organization, and sponsored by leading
employee benefits carrier, CIGNA.
This may soon change. As the CIGNA/ICMA Local Government Employee
Health Survey ( http://cigna.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=126 ) found that
municipal and county administrators are planning to implement health
improvement incentive and reward programs in the next few years.
The survey results will be discussed during a news event on Monday,
October 8, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. in conjunction with the 93rd ICMA Annual
Conference. The event will take place in Room 330 of the David L. Lawrence
Convention Center, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Key survey findings include:
-- The top three health concerns nationally as identified by local
government professionals are obesity/weight management (51%), heart
disease (42%), and stress management (38%)
-- Only one-third of municipalities and counties said they offer programs
to address such health issues as asthma and cancer; however, looking
ahead, another 20% of local governments indicate plans to offer disease
management programs during the next five years
-- The number of local governments that offer rewards to employees for
participating in wellness or disease prevention programs is expected to
double -- from 27% to 58% -- within five years
Planning for the Future
"Health care and its costs are a chief concern for our nation's local
governments, and the choices we make over the next few years will have
implications for both governments and our citizenry," said ICMA Executive
Director Bob O'Neil. "Because many local governments rank among their
region's largest and most high-profile employers, they can serve as models
in establishing healthy living and wellness and can help lead the
transition to a very different way of thinking about health care."
"Our survey found that an increasing number of city and county
governments are planning to ramp up health improvement programs in the near
future," said CIGNA Health Care Vice President, Government Segment, Sheila
McGinley. "For example, in the next five years local government
administrators who say they plan to offer health risk assessments will
increase from 40% to 64% , and the percentage of municipalities that offer
rewards for using high-quality, cost- efficient providers will nearly
double."
"In addition, more local governments are considering offering their
employees consumer-directed health plan options," McGinley said. "According
to survey respondents, 30 percent of municipalities say they plan to offer
a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) or Health Savings Account (HSA)
plan within the next five years."
Thoughts on GASB
Despite the potential impact of Government Accounting Standards Board
(GASB) regulations that will require local governments to report future
liability costs of retiree health benefits, most respondents said that
their local government does not have a strategy in place to address the
proposed regulations.
Among those respondents that say they have a plan in place to address
GASB; the top three future strategies are funding HRAs or HSAs, prefunding
retiree medical liability, and discontinuing early retiree medical benefits
for new hires.
The study was developed in conjunction with the ICMA Health Care
Advisory Group and was conducted by ICMA and sponsored by CIGNA. The survey
was mailed to 8,013 local governments-all municipalities with a population
of 2,500 and above and all counties with an elected executive or a chief
appointed official. More than 2,200 local governments responded to the
survey, representing a response rate of 28%.
Members of the press interested in covering the news event on October
8, 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. in Room 330 of the David L. Lawrence Convention
Center in Pittsburgh should email Michele Frisby at ICMA, mfrisby@icma.org
or 202/962-3658.
About ICMA
ICMA advances professional local government worldwide. Its mission is
to create excellence in local governance by developing and advancing
professional management of local government. ICMA, the International
City/County Management Association, provides member support; publications,
data, and information; peer and results-oriented assistance; and training
and professional development to more than 9,000 city, town, and county
experts and other individuals and organizations throughout the world. The
management decisions made by ICMA's members affect 185 million individuals
living in thousands of communities, from small villages and towns to large
metropolitan areas.
For more information visit http://icma.org
About CIGNA
CIGNA provides benefits and other services to public and private sector
employers around the globe. CIGNA's operating subsidiaries offer a full
portfolio of medical, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy, and vision care
benefits and group life, accident, and disability insurance. The company is
particularly focused on initiatives that help improve health and well-being
for all. Areas of special consideration include women, families, and
children; obesity awareness; healthy mind and body; health literacy; and
disparities in health care. Products and services are provided by operating
subsidiaries, and not by CIGNA Corporation (NYSE: CI). For more
information, visit http://www.cigna.com.
SOURCE CIGNA HealthCare
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Related links:
http://www.cigna.com/
CONTACT:
Michele Frisby of ICMA, +1-202-962-3658,
mfrisby@icma.org, or Joe Mondy of CIGNA, +1-860-226-5499,
joseph.mondy@cigna.com
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