Search is Powered by Google
Health Insurance / Medical Insurance News

USA Today Examines Michigan HMO's Employer, Employee Discounts For Wellness Program

Main Category: Health Insurance / Medical Insurance
Article Date: 17 Jul 2006 - 17:00 PST

email icon email to a friend   printer icon printer friendly   write icon view / write opinions   rate icon rate article
Current Article Ratings:

Patient / Public:1 star

1 (1 votes)

Health Professional:not yet rated

Article Opinions: 0 posts

USA Today on Thursday examined a Michigan HMO that is offering a new plan that includes discounts for employees who pledge to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The program by Blue Care Network, part of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, offers an average 10% discount on premiums for employers that offer the plan and lower copayments and deductibles for their employees if they exercise, quit smoking and take medicine as prescribed. Those employees who do not follow their doctors' recommendations or who discontinue participation in the program could see a rise in their copays and prescription drug costs. According to USA Today, Blue Care's effort is part of a national trend of HMOs offering discounts for workers at small companies who pledge to pursue healthy lifestyles. Blue Care's plan "may be the most far-reaching such effort aimed at smaller employers," but other health plans also are "embrac[ing] 'consumerism,'" in health care, USA Today reports. For example, Washington State Premera Blue Cross in June began offering midsize companies two free years of health risk management and health "coaching," and Massachusetts in April joined other states in altering insurance laws to allow wellness discounts for small companies. Meanwhile, many employers are offering incentives for workers who participate in wellness programs. Peter Lee of the Pacific Business Group on Health says, "I'm seeing increasing interest in employers recognizing their premium costs are often driven by the lifestyle choices of some of their employees, and that's causing an unfair burden on other employees" (Appleby, USA Today, 7/13).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.




Personalized Homepage Weekly Newsletters Daily News Alerts
Opioid Induced Constipation ADHD Anxiety Asthma Autism Cancer Diabetes Lung Cancer Lupus Medicare / Medicaid Obesity and BMI Pancreatic Cancer Stem Cells All 'What Is...' Articles All 'How To...' Articles

Ophthalmology Urology
About Us News Licensing Free Website Feeds Free Tools & Content Tell a Friend Accessibility Help / FAQ Article Submission Links Contact Us

add medical news today to your facebook
medical news gadget

Swine Flu Image

Swine Flu Updates

- Latest Swine Flu News
- What is Swine Flu?
- Map Of H1N1 Outbreaks
- Swine Flu - Top 20 FAQ
- Daily Email News Alerts
Stick with Medical News Today for the latest news updates on swine flu.


These are the most read articles from this news category for the last 6 months:
Top Article Star
Medicaid, COBRA Provisions Under Economic Stimulus Package Expand Health Care Coverage
22 Jan 2009
Under the two-year economic stimulus package released last week by House Democrats, recently laid-off workers could receive health coverage assistance through an $8.6 billion expansion in Medicaid or $30 billion in federal...


Running Tips
Running Tips

Beginning a running program may seem daunting at first, but it is a gradual process. Fitness expert Jonathan Cane provides tips for beginning runners.

more videos are available in our health videos section.