Are your company benefits tied to your health?

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Replies

  • LishieFruit89
    LishieFruit89 Posts: 1,956 Member
    My company does!

    It's cheaper each month if you're a non smoker.
    And then you can save an additional 20$ a month if you earn enough points.
    We have to earn 50,000 points to qualifiy but a physical is 10k, webinars range from 5k - 25k, my 30 min runs are 500, it stacks up really fast. And there's an added bonus. You can use the points you've earned and redeem gift cards without it deducting from the 50k you need. Gift cards start at 25k (25$) and are earned in 5$ increments after that. So everything I'm doing now, gets me 20$ off for 2013.

    I've already got 115$ in giftcards
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I wish ours was!! It bothers me that our insurance rates keep going up because so many people that work here are overweight and never exercise. And we are a healthcare organization!!
  • cohophysh
    cohophysh Posts: 288
    I wish we did, my company could give a rats butt..."you are here to work, that's all!"
  • amanda52488
    amanda52488 Posts: 260 Member
    Yep, smokers pay higher health insurance. We also have screenings, and if we do such and such we get gift cards@

    And they pay for our gym membership if we go a certain amount of days a month!
  • Annette_rose
    Annette_rose Posts: 427 Member
    I work in a medical facility and we do have benefits if we sign up for what they call "The Wellness Program". Our $55/paycheck insurance is cut $10 per check if we participate.
  • lukeout007
    lukeout007 Posts: 1,237 Member
    We get extra funds in our Medical Reimbursement Account for doing certain things. Having a healthy BMI, completing wellness assessments, etc.
  • MyTime1985
    MyTime1985 Posts: 456 Member
    I work for BCBS and we have the same incentives with the exception of the BMI. I'm sure that's coming though! They are really great about clinics, patches and meds to stop smoking all for free. A gym at most locations and they'll pay for a gym membership if your office doesn't have one, health screenings, etc. I guess I'm very fortunate.
  • stellcorb
    stellcorb Posts: 294 Member
    My work introduced a program like that, but it had a more negative impact b/c it was accompanied by an elimination of several less expensive/ lower deductable health plans and the introduction of the new "consumer based health plans"... In other words, giant deductables and coinsurance limits along w/ higher premiums. While preventative care is covered 100%, the definition of that is fairly loose being that my pre-natal check-ups do not fall into that category...
    We get credit to an MRA if we meet the BMI/ health criteria, but the max is well below the out of pocket expense if you say, I don't know... give birth... yeah, this plan change happened 3 months into my pregnancy.
    Sorry for the rant, but this is something that kills me about big business in general (my place of employment as well as Insurance companies)...
    By itself though, I think it's a great incentive for people to manage and take full responsibility for thier health... I'm just wondering when they're going to stop covering smokers all together though... which is a bit scary even coming from an ex-smoker... but that's an opinion that may stir up too much debate.
  • MyTime1985
    MyTime1985 Posts: 456 Member
    Yes, and I work for a major insurance company and I bet I have worse benefits than 99% of the people on this board. I have to get my life in order because I couldn't afford to get sick with the benefits I have.

    I'm in the same boat!
  • ljnftw
    ljnftw Posts: 81 Member
    Ours does not do so directly (except the smoking thing.)

    They do provide a "discount" if you and your spouse if both on the plan fill out a health assessment. They also provide "tools" to work on your health from free health screenings, to health coaches, to "fitness" programs where you can earn points. Earn enough points and you get the discount.

    However they make it so easy that anyone can get the points without really trying to get healthy.

    Last Fall I took advantage of the free health screening. All my numbers looked great except for my BMI. I feel fine and fit but according to the BMI I am OBESE!!!. I was OK with over weight or pleasantly plump, but not obese.

    I also had a physical and a dental exam this Spring (that was enough to qualify for the discount.) The physical showed the same thing, great health except for the weight (it was actually my doc that told me to use MFP he is on here somewhere.) I signed up for a health coach (after three sessions all over the phone I also had enough points for the discount.) This week I had my fifth session and when she heard my progress and that I was on here she suggested that we end the regular session and I could call when I wanted something.

    And currently we are doing a "Fit For Fun" program. If you complete it you also have enough points to get the discount. All you "need" to do is log in once a week for 4 or 5 weeks and do something (even as easy as flunking a five question quiz on health) and you get your points. If you and your team do well enough you can earn other prizes but none health based.

    They provide a lot of tools if you take the time to use them but you can still get the discount without trying to get better.

    BTW my BMI last Fall was 34.8. Working on my own it was 33.9 one month ago(in six months.) With the help of MFP it is currently 32.5. It appears I have a bit of a journey to go before I apply for a job with Juwaacks employer.
  • AshleyRKnutson
    AshleyRKnutson Posts: 98 Member
    We can get $100-$200 a year for doing healthy wellness checks and show that we are trying to lead a healthier lifestyle. We also get points for healthy activities such as fitness assessments, 5Ks, etc. and we can use those points to "buy" things like sports tickets, kid toys, movie tickets, HRM, household items, etc. It's pretty nice.
  • JoolieW68
    JoolieW68 Posts: 1,879 Member
    My workplace is going in the opposite direction. People are looked down upon for their food choices, gossiped about, and at the annual health screenings - most people don't go because nosey people gossip about their test results too. No one here cares if we're working on our health and often I feel like I'm the only person that is. They did just instate a policy that we can't use tobacco products and we have to get nicotine tests. That's about all. Our insurance is horrid and they just changed it from a good policy to our current one to save the company money by screwing the workers. Our company also owns an entire building that is empty and when I had people on the healthy bandwagon, we offered to bring exercise equipment to the empty space so we could workout during lunch. We were told no and given some excuse about it being a security risk for us to A). Walk over there {2 blocks away} B). To let multiple people have keys to the buidling C). To be seen out in public shuffling in and out of a random building. So, the space sits there... it's a damn shame too. I could be on a stationary bike or an old elliptical or jumping rope or doing a workout DVD on an old TV..... it makes me sad how unvalued my health is as a worker. They wonder why everyone is sick all the time here. :(

    Wow, this sucks for you. Glad you are here, though, working on your health regardless of what your company does.
  • JoolieW68
    JoolieW68 Posts: 1,879 Member
    Working in the medical field, it's common knowledge that BMI is essentially irrelevant, so we use body fat percentage instead.

    I thought about that and what would happen if they did switch to a hard stop at 30. I'm sure there are some people here who's BMI is considered 'unhealthy' because they are very muscular. Seems like they would have to start going by body fat percentage.

    And while I'm thinking about it (unrelated to the above), I'm feeling a little slighted for the people who get points for WW, since I don't do, and never have done, WW, so I can't get those 5 points per week. Grrrrrrr......
  • jarredondo
    jarredondo Posts: 284 Member
    Gentex Incentives for 2013:
    Hit your Numbers:
    BMI <30 = $75
    Blood Pressure <140/90 = $75
    LDL Cholesterol <160 = $75
    Glucose < 126 = $75

    and an additional $360 of for a Tobacco-Free Lifestyle

    If you spouse also is covered under Gentex Insurance it is double or nothing. If you both hit your number you get $150, if one of you miss, you get 0.
  • reztib
    reztib Posts: 151 Member
    We get a $20 reimbursement through BCBS if we go to a gym 8 times or more a month. Motivators like this would be great to have on a health plan. Would motivate others (myself included) to make better choices.
  • JustJennie1
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,749 Member
    Are my benefits tied to my health? Absolutely. Both my husband and I are self employed and have to pay for our own health insurance. The healthier we are the less we need to use the insurance.

    That would DEFINITELY be an incentive! :glasses:

    We actually call it our health ASSURANCE. This is the reason why we go to the gym every day, eat the way we do and take supplements. We literally can't afford to be sick.
  • Im_NotPerfect
    Im_NotPerfect Posts: 2,181 Member
    My old company had this. Bad thing was, even the discounted premiums were out of control! So, either way you were screwed when what you had to pay. And their level of how you got points was almost impossible for those not on any kind of plan. Glad I got out of there before it kicked in. I want to do this because I want to do it...not because my company forces me to. That's going too far in my opinion.
  • _the_feniks_
    _the_feniks_ Posts: 3,412 Member
    Yes. We are rewarded by lower premiums based on thinks like smoking, bmi, regular preventive medicine visits (physicals), etc. They also offer discounts to certain gyms, weight watchers, smoking cessation courses, etc.
  • AmyEm3
    AmyEm3 Posts: 784 Member
    Our health insurance is through my husband's employer and they don't do anything like this.

    We USED to get a huge discount on a gym membership if you went 12x per month (or a smaller discount if you went 8x per month) but they dropped that perk.
  • ljnftw
    ljnftw Posts: 81 Member
    Gentex Incentives for 2013:
    Hit your Numbers:
    BMI <30 = $75
    Blood Pressure <140/90 = $75
    LDL Cholesterol <160 = $75
    Glucose < 126 = $75

    and an additional $360 of for a Tobacco-Free Lifestyle

    If you spouse also is covered under Gentex Insurance it is double or nothing. If you both hit your number you get $150, if one of you miss, you get 0.
    GACK!!!

    At first I thought that said TABASCO FREE lifestyle. I would have to change jobs!!!

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