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HealthPartners launches new worksite wellness program
Pilot program reduced medical costs by more than three percent annually
May 30, 2007
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - HealthPartners today announced a worksite wellness program that provides lower co-pays and co-insurance to employees who take a free health assessment and participate in any of more than 40 free health improvement and disease management programs. The program, called Healthy Benefits, is based on a pilot program that showed a significant reduction in medical costs for employers.
"The bottom line for business is that linking health benefits to health improvement programs can create a healthy workforce and make health care more affordable," said Andrea Walsh, HealthPartners senior vice president and chief marketing officer. HealthPartners announced details of the program to an audience of about 450 at HealthPartners annual business forum at the Earle Brown Center in Brooklyn Center. Highlights include:- Financial incentives. Healthy Benefits provides financial rewards to employees such as lower co-pays of and lower deductibles for completing a free Health Assessment and participating in free health improvement programs.
- High participation rates. To create a workplace culture of health and wellness, a majority of employees must participate in programs. The Healthy Benefits program is designed to achieve an average employee participation rate of 75% among HealthPartners members.
- Broad choice of customized programs. Every employee who completes a free health assessment is eligible to participate in any of more than 40 programs including seven personalized, phone courses, disease management programs or HealthPartners 10,000 steps program. The programs are offered at no additional charge to fully insured employers.
- Pilot programs.Healthy Benefits is modeled after programs at St. Paul Public Schools and BAE Systems. Results include an increase in the number of employees who meet recommendations for exercise and diet and a three percent annual decrease in medical costs.
About HealthPartners
Founded in 1957, the HealthPartners (www.healthpartners.com) family of healthcare companies serve more than one million medical and dental health plan members nationwide. It is the largest consumer-governed, nonprofit health care organization in the nation, providing care, coverage, research and education to improve the health of members, patients and the community. For the third year in a row, HealthPartners is rated one of the best commercial health plans in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, NCQA's "America's Best Health Plans 2007" and is ranked "Highest in Member Satisfaction among Commercial Health Plans in the Minnesota-Wisconsin Region" by J.D. Power and Associates.
Contact: 952-883-5308
Pager: 612-527-1921
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