Looking for Someone to Help Make the Change? Five Things You Need to Know
NASHVILLE, Tenn., July 20 /PRNewswire/ -- A new study shows that public
sentiment is shifting towards acceptance of higher health insurance rates
for people with unhealthy lifestyles, giving human resources executives new
ammunition to introduce employee health plan designs with incentives to
pursue healthier habits.
Right now, large employers and their health care consulting firms are
refining a benefit design strategy for 2007 and sourcing vendors to fulfill
their requirements. A relatively new angle that is gaining ground is
providing financial incentives, such as lower premiums or co-payments, for
employees who choose healthy behaviors like smoking cessation, exercise and
weight control.
Wall Street Journal/Harris Poll results released yesterday indicate
consumer support for such programs is growing. More than half of those
surveyed (53 percent) said they think it's fair to ask people with
unhealthy lifestyles to pay higher insurance premiums than people with
healthy lifestyles, while 32 percent said it would be unfair. When asked
the same question in 2003, 37 percent said it would be fair, while 45
percent said it would be unfair.
"As health care costs continue to rise, more consumers can see the
logic of giving employees who make healthier lifestyle choices a break,"
said John Shull, chief executive of Gordian Health Solutions. "Most chronic
illnesses are tied to lifestyle-driven choices such as poor diet, lack of
exercise or smoking. When offered a choice of lower health care premiums,
along with the programs and health coaching to help them succeed in living
a healthier life, employees have all the right reasons to make changes."
Gordian, a privately held company headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., is
a leading national provider of population health management services for
companies across the country. Gordian is unique in offering its clients
incentive management and an integrated approach to lifestyle and chronic
condition health coaching services. The idea is designed to help employers
maintain a healthy and productive workforce and manage rising health care
costs.
For companies mapping out requirements for incentives and developing
RFIs for 2007, Shull offered several questions an employer should ask about
using incentives when choosing a health management partner:
1. Baseline Matters. Does the vendor have the ability to get a baseline
measurement that will be used to determine the current health
management needs of all company employees before a health, lifestyle
and disease management program is designed, and are they flexible
enough to offer programs to those at low, medium and high risk?
2. Integration Counts. Can the same vendor give you "one-stop shopping,"
offering both a health improvement program and an incentive program
designed to give participating employees discounts on their health
premiums or co-pays?
3. IT Enables Efficient Incentive Management. When managing the incentive
program, does the vendor have an IT platform that interfaces with your
payroll system and that provides periodic management reports?
4. Communicate and Respond to Employees. When you decide to launch the
program, can the vendor offer you a company-branded communications
program to educate employees about how the program works and what the
program benefits are?
5. Match Incentives With Health Behaviors. Does the vendor know how to
design an incentive management and health management program that
dovetails into the company's unique corporate culture?
Shull said businesses can also create a more positive climate if
employees are presented with financial incentives (or discounts) to be
healthier rather than higher premiums or co-pays for unhealthy lifestyle
choices. A more positive climate often means greater participation in
healthy lifestyle programs, and lower overall health care costs for the
employer.
About Gordian Health Solutions, Inc.
Gordian is a national population health management company based in
Nashville, Tennessee. The company offers lifestyle and disease management
programs and a comprehensive suite of products and services such as
population health risk analysis, telephonic counseling, online products,
health education hotlines, and on-site health education/fitness center
management. Gordian works with employers, health plans and government
entities to identify, control and manage health risk factors and their
associated costs. Through targeted and tailored programs, and sophisticated
tracking, monitoring and reporting capabilities, Gordian works with clients
to measure program progress and cost savings. For more information about
Gordian Heath Solutions, visit http://www.gordian-health.com.
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