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Home: Jump Start: Frequently Asked Questions
About Jump Start

Overview

Jump Start, which began in February of 2006, is a unique opportunity for employees to learn about their health and take steps (literally) to maintain or improve it. Originally, it combined HealthPartners health assessment with a free membership in the 10,000 Steps® program. This combination is key in helping employees learn about their current health status and lifestyle and giving them a way to get started on improving their health.

New Incentives for 2008

Once the member completes the health assessment, he or she can choose either to:
  • Receive a pharmacy coupon worth up to $20 off prescription and OTC medications purchased through HealthPartners pharmacies or mail order (one-time use only) OR
  • Enroll in 10,000 Steps without charge and receive a free pedometer
If they choose enrollment in 10,000 Steps, every time they record steps (or other physical activity) on their personalized web page, they will be entered in a monthly drawing for their choice of:
  1. $599 toward a one-year single YMCA membership at any of the metro Twin Cities' 21 locations OR
  2. $240 toward membership at any area health club contracted with HealthPartners OR
  3. $500 off a purchase of $1,000 or more at 2nd Wind Exercise Equipment.
A total of 12 prizes will be awarded throughout the year.

NOTE: To be eligible for the 10,000 Steps prize drawings, the employee must take the assessment in 2008. Step logs from 2007 will not be entered in the prize drawings.

NOTE: Once someone has won a prize in a 10,000 Steps drawing, they cannot win again. But they should continue to log their steps to track their progress.

Registration Problems

People who have previously registered on healthpartners.com must log on to the health assessment site in Jump Start using the username and password they created on this account. If callers are having problems registering online, transfer the callers to the IS Support Center (x26052).

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Who is eligible and ineligible for Jump Start?
Most current HealthPartners medical members are eligible for Jump Start. Groups not eligible include:
  • Medicare
  • Medicaid
  • Dental-only members
  • Taft-Hartley members
  • Members of select employer groups
  • Members under age 18
Q. Can non-HealthPartners members participate in Jump Start?
No, Jump Start is only available to eligible HealthPartners members at this time.

Q. Can I participate in Jump Start if I don't have access to a computer or the Internet?
No. Jump Start is only available via the Internet. People who don't have access to a computer might consider visiting a local library to check out their options for accessing the Internet.

Q. When does it start?
Employees can preregister for the program on healthpartners.com. If they have done this, they will receive an email early in January that will tell them they may now begin the program. If they have not registered, they may do so beginning in early January.

Q. Can an employee do Jump Start more than once?
People can only participate in Jump Start one time per calendar year. When the new Jump Start begins in January 2008, they will be able to participate in that, even if they participated in the 2007 program. Other incentives (besides 10,000 Steps) may be offered through Jump Start at other times during the year, but they may only complete one Jump Start health assessment and earn one HealthPartners incentive in a calendar year (see new incentives for 2008, above). You may offer additional rewards.

Q. How much does it cost to participate in Jump Start?
Jump Start — the health assessment and incentive gifts, including 10,000 Steps, are free to all eligible HealthPartners members.

Q. Why should people take the health assessment again?
People's scores may have changed since the last time they took the assessment, especially if they have made lifestyle changes based on the action plan they received. They can compare their scores — and get a new action plan that takes their current state of fitness into account.

How to Participate

Q. How do my employees participate in Jump Start?
It's simple! Just visit healthpartners.com and follow the links to the Jump Start page. Jump Start is for HealthPartners members only, so they'll need to log on to their secure user accounts using their username and password to participate. If they don't have secure user accounts, they'll need to create one. They'll then be able to participate in Jump Start AND use their secure account to access all the great tools that are just for members — look up claims, use the cost calculators and much more!

Q. Do employees need to enter a "health assessment/promotion code" to participate in Jump Start?
No. They will be asked to enter a "health assessment/promotion code" as part of the Jump Start process, but they don't need to enter one. They can just click "next" to move on to the next step.

Q. How do my employees know if they already have a secure user account?
They may have already created a secure user account if they set up a username and password at healthpartners.com in the past to look at information such as benefits. They will need to use the same username and password to participate in Jump Start. If they can't remember their username and password, they can click on "Log on help."

Q. Does it matter which web browser they use?
Yes. With PCs, use Internet Explorer 5.5 or above. For Macs, use Firefox.

Q. Some of my employees are not very knowledgeable about how to use a computer. Will it be easy to complete the health assessment online?
The online health assessment is designed to be reasonably easy for people at all levels of computer experience. Anyone having trouble understanding any of the directions can contact HealthPartners Member Services.

Completing the Health Assessment

Q. What is a health assessment?
A health assessment is a survey that asks a series of questions about health, lifestyle, and health history. Questions cover topics such as nutrition, physical activity, safety and tobacco use.

Q. Why does the assessment ask certain questions?
All of the questions help evaluate people's current health status and determine if they are at risk for diabetes, heart disease or several other health conditions. Each answer is worth a certain number of points and will be used to calculate the individual's health score. The score will indicate areas they can improve and areas they're doing well in.

Q. Why should employees take the health assessment?
The health assessment is an opportunity for people to discover their own personal health potential and make decisions on how to improve their health today and in the future. The assessment will also connect them with resources to help them succeed with lifestyle changes and challenge them to try something new.

Q. Do they need any information on their health history before starting?
To accurately assess health status, the health assessment will ask certain questions that it may be helpful to know before taking the health assessment. To be prepared, employees can take time to find out their families' history with cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, osteoporosis and heart disease or heart attacks.

Q. What does someone get when he or she completes the health assessment part of Jump Start?
  • A unique health score — based on the most recent health and medical research, and taking into account the individual's health history and health-related habits
  • Detailed personal report — shows which small changes can improve their health the most and increase their health score
  • Health tips — choose from dozens of effective health improvement tips and step-by-step instructions to lose weight, manage stress, quit smoking and more
  • Personalized checklists — based on age, gender and any health risk factors, the checklist shows how often to see the doctor and the tests and services the person should be receiving
  • Rewards — when an employee completes the health assessment, they can choose a gift — see new incentives for 2008, above.
Q. How long will it take to complete the assessment?
It takes approximately 15 - 20 minutes to complete the assessment depending on the speed of the computer.

Q. Do they need to answer every question on the health assessment?
When completing the health assessment as part of Jump Start, participants must answer every question in order to move on to the next page.

Q. Can a person change his/her answers while completing the health assessment?
Yes. People can change their answers throughout the survey at any time before completing the last section, which is called "Healthy Changes." Once they complete this last section and click on the Next button, the survey will be complete and they will not be able to go back.

Q. What if someone begins the health assessment but doesn't finish it?
  • Answers are saved every time the user clicks on the "Next" button.
  • If the user clicks on the log off link before completing the survey, the survey will close.
  • If the person leaves his computer but does not click on the log off link, the survey will stay open for 20 minutes, then automatically close.
  • The person can choose to either continue the survey where he or she left off or start again from the beginning.
If an employee has any of the following questions, direct them to contact the Jump Start team at 952-883-7800 or 800-311-1052. Hearing-impaired employees can contact 952-883-5217.
  • Questions about the information requested on the health assessment
  • Questions about their feedback report


Privacy

Q. If an employee's health assessment results show that he or she is at risk for something, will someone from HealthPartners call that person?
Only if the employee wants them to! The health assessment is designed to provide your employees with information to take the next step. But if the health assessment results show that they are at high risk for a disease, they may want and need to speak with someone to get more details and learn about the options available. At the end of the health assessment, each participant is asked if they want to be contacted regarding follow-up programs for people who may be at-risk. That's their chance to indicate whether they want to be contacted. We encourage everyone to take advantage of this opportunity to receive support in dealing with current or future health issues.

Q. Will employees' Jump Start health assessment results be shared with employers?
Employers never receive information about an individual's specific health assessment results (unless court-ordered). Employers may receive a report summarizing the health of their employee population, but it does not contain information about the health status of individual employees. Employers may also receive a list of employees who completed the health assessment in case they are interested in providing additional rewards or incentives to employees. Employers use the summary data to help make decisions about what health improvement programs could be made available to employees to address the health issues that exist.

Q. Will an employee's health assessment results be sent to his or her clinic?
No. However, employees are encouraged to share their results and their health assessment reports with their doctors as a way to begin a discussion about health issues they may be experiencing, or issues they may encounter in the future.

Q. Where are the results from the health assessment stored?
They are stored electronically in a database here at HealthPartners.

Q. Is the health assessment site secure so that personal information is protected?
The health assessment website uses 128-bit encryption. This means that the information sent over the Internet is in code, and can only be read by special software at HealthPartners. Participants create their own username and personal password to access the health assessment, so only the person that has the password can access that individual health assessment account. Employees should not share their username and password with anyone! Health assessment results are available online only by signing in with the username and personal password.

Q. If an employee completes the health assessment as part of Jump Start, will the results be used to deny coverage?
HealthPartners does not use health assessment results as part of rate calculations and does not use results to deny coverage. However, if the health assessment is made a part of the medical record (through a member sharing the results with their physician), an insurance company may have access to the medical record as part of an application process authorized by the patient (such as an application for life insurance) or a claims process initiated by the patient (such as a Worker's Compensation claim).

Q. Can an employee go back to the Jump Start page at a later time if they're not ready to look at the health improvement options now?
Yes.

Using the Pharmacy Coupon

Q. How does an employee redeem the pharmacy coupon?
A member must present the coupon when making a purchase of prescription medication or over-the-counter items. The coupon is not stored value and must be redeemed at time of purchase.

Q. The employee's prescription only costs $15. Can you credit his/her account for the remaining $5?
No. The coupon is for one-time use only. No change will be given. Accounts will not be credited. If a member does not have purchases that exceed $20, he or she can purchase OTC products to optimize benefit from the coupon.

Q. A member lost the coupon/didn't receive the coupon. What should she/he do?
The member should call Member Services at 952-883-5000 or 800-883-2177. Hearing-impaired members can contact 952-883-5127.

Q. How does an employee use the coupon for mail-order purchases?
The person will need to mail in the coupon for his or her account to be credited. Mail to:
Central Pharmacy — HealthPartners
P.O. Box 44804
Eden Prairie, MN 55344-2504

Q. How does someone use the coupon for purchases over the phone?
The person will need to mail in the coupon for his or her account to be credited. Mail to:
Central Pharmacy — HealthPartners
P.O. Box 44804
Eden Prairie, MN 55344-2504

Q. Can employees use this coupon at other pharmacies?
No. The coupon is only good for HealthPartners pharmacies and HealthPartners mail order pharmacy purchases.

Q. Can employees use this coupon to buy something other than prescriptions?
Yes. They can use the coupon to purchase OTC items at HealthPartners pharmacies and HealthPartners mail order pharmacy.

Q. Can employees on Medicare/Medicaid use the coupon?
No. Only members who are eligible to participate in Jump Start can use the $20 coupon given as a reward for completing the Jump Start health assessment. That does not include members on Medicare or Medicaid plans.

Enrolling/Participating in 10,000 Steps

Q. How does an employee get the 10,000 Steps program for free?
HealthPartners award-winning 10,000 Steps program is free for members who complete our interactive health assessment and choose this as their free gift. Once someone completes the health assessment, they'll be directed to a page listing all of the action steps they can take, including 10,000 Steps. They just click on the 10,000 Steps program link found in the Jump Start site, fill in the required information, and they'll be enrolled in 10,000 Steps for free! They will need to know their HealthPartners member ID number and should have that with them when they enroll. The pedometer and 10,000 Steps packet will arrive in the mail within two weeks.

Q. Can someone go back to the Jump Start page at a later time if they're not ready to look at the health improvement options or register for 10,000 Steps now?
Yes. They just log on to their secure user account and click on any of the Jump Start links. This will take them to the page with the 10,000 Steps enrollment instructions, their health assessment results, their personal action plan and more.

Q. What if an employee has participated in 10,000 Steps in the past, or is currently enrolled in it?
If someone is currently enrolled in 10,000 Steps and wants to participate in the free 10,000 Steps enrollment through Jump Start, they have a couple of options depending on their current level of activity in their current 10,000 Steps program:
  1. Best option: If they're currently actively logging steps in a 10,000 Steps program, they can go ahead and complete the current 10,000 Steps program, and then enroll in their new, free 10,000 Steps program using the links on the Jump Start pages. They must make sure that they complete the 10,000 Steps survey that will appear after they've logged steps for 8 weeks in their current program — this will indicate that they've completed their current 10,000 Steps program. Once that program is complete, they can then use the same email to enroll in the free Jump Start 10,000 Steps program.
  2. Other option: The person can enroll in the second free 10,000 Steps at the same time as the one they're currently in, regardless of whether they're actively logging steps or not. We don't recommend this option, as they would need to log steps in two places. If someone chooses this option, they must use a different email address when registering for their free 10,000 Steps program through Jump Start. If the employee cannot remember the email address they have already registered with, the Jump Start team (952-883-7800) can help them with that.
Q. If an employee is currently enrolled in 10,000 Steps, can they get their money back, since it's free through Jump Start?
Yes, if they purchased the program — no refunds if they earned or won a free enrollment in 10,000 Steps. The employee is eligible for a refund within the first 30 days of registering for the program. They must mail their pedometer and the following information to HealthPartners: name, address, daytime phone, HealthPartners member number, date of birth, and payment type (credit coupon or check). Mail to:
HealthPartners
Attn: 10,000 Steps — MS-21111H
P.O. Box 1309
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55440-1309

Please allow 14 - 21 business days for processing the refund. The employee will still need to register for the free Jump Start 10,000 Steps program — HealthPartners won't automatically switch them over. They can then just follow the instructions on the Jump Start web screens to enroll in the free 10,000 Steps program.

Q. Can an employee enroll in the mail-based 10,000 Steps program through Jump Start?
Yes. They can follow the online instructions to enroll in 10,000 Steps and indicate "mail-based" when given the option for which version of 10,000 Steps they'd like to enroll in.

Q. Are there other programs my employees can participate in instead of 10,000 Steps?
Yes, but some have a fee. Information on the phone courses and Dragon and Bear calendars can be found on the Jump Start site. People eligible for Frequent Fitness can enroll in that program at a participating health club — they just visit the Frequent Fitness page for more information. Healthy discounts are available to all members by visiting the Healthy Discounts page.