Businesses helping employees to become better health consumers
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Employees Tina Bunnell, left, and Kristen Hodgkinson work out with light weights in the group class area of the Lab Safety Supply fitness center.
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Employees at Lab Safety Supply in Janesville flock to the company’s fitness center to get a bit of exercise over the noon hour. The company offers aerobic machines, weight lifting and classroom space as part of its overall wellness plan. The company also offers a clinic through Dean Health Services. Lab Safety Supply has twice won the top award for workplace wellness from the Wellness Councils of America.
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Fitness coordinator Linda Bown, left, helps an employee with a complete fitness plan. Bown is a certified trainer as well as a nutritionist and also has some medical training.
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The workout area in the fitness center at Lab Safety Supply in Janesville stretches across an entire upper floor of the building.
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Registered nurse Jan Bruss has an office inside Lab Safety Supply. The company offers an on-site clinic.
JANESVILLE — It's not rocket science: If you're healthy, you're probably going to use less health care.
That's why more local employers want to keep their employees healthy to offset double-digit health insurance increases.
"People who make healthier choices are cheaper to insure," said John Becker, Rock County's director of human resources.
The result: health risk assessments and wellness programs at work.
Or the shining local example: an on-site workout facility and clinic at Lab Safety Supply in Janesville.
"I think it's the only real alternative for employers as a whole," Becker said. "The alternatives are either cutting benefits or shifting more responsibility to the employees."
That puts working families in a tough situation, he said.
"The answer—until there's a national solution—is going to be becoming more responsible consumers," he said.
The average health insurance premium in 2007—employer and employee share combined—was $4,250 to $4,499 for single coverage and $12,000 to $12,499 for family coverage, according to a 2007 employer health care benefits survey in Milwaukee.
Setting an example
Need a break from work? Take a jog on the treadmill down the hall.
Feel like you're getting the flu? Stop in at the on-site clinic.
Back pains distracting you from work? Get your back adjusted by the chiropractor.
Those are just a few of the benefits that employees of Lab Safety Supply in Janesville receive at their on-site wellness and fitness centers.
Lab Safety has twice received the top award for workplace wellness through the Wellness Councils of America. The company provides on its site a personal trainer, a chiropractor, a massage therapist, physical/occupational therapy, a clinic contracted through Dean Health System for needs similar to those treated at urgent care, free sports physicals for children of employees, fitness and nutritional counseling and health risk assessments.
Aside from keeping the company's health care costs below the national average, the company's commitment to wellness has provided benefits that include low turnover and absenteeism rates, increased productivity and morale and appreciative employees who regularly give positive feedback, said Jan Bruss, wellness supervisor and a registered nurse.
"After a year, it was so in-your-face evidence that we had no question about continuing to move forward," she said.
"What we put into it initially has more than paid back in six months for reduced routine services," said Tim Markus, human resources manager. "It was that quick."
Employees make 5,500 annual visits to the free on-site clinic.
Plenty of resources are available through the Wellness Councils of America for companies looking to start similar plans, Bruss said. Lab Safety leaders have spoken nationally about their program.
"The scariest thing for everyone is not knowing where to start," she said. "Starting anywhere is better than not starting at all."
Company organizers are the key, Markus said, because everyone has to be on board with the idea and dedicated for it to succeed.
In the next few years, businesses will realize how much of a necessity it is to create such programs and help employees become better health consumers, Markus said.
"It's no longer a luxury," he said. "It's becoming a competitive advantage."
Smaller scale
Some employers are finding benefits without going to such lengths as Lab Safety.
Janesville's Hufcor did health risk assessments periodically over the last 15 years but started a formal program in 2007.
"Our insurance costs continue to go in double-digit increases," said Pat Whitmore, vice president of human resources.
The company, which has 500 employees nationwide and 320 in Janesville, will spend a "few hundred thousand" dollars over three years for its wellness program, Whitmore said.
"But we project return on investment by a minimum of three to one," she said.
More than 350 employees and spouses participated in the health risk assessments and can work toward individual health goals set by the provider to receive $240 toward their health insurance for next year, she said.
The program is not mandatory yet, but employees were paid $50 to participate, and spouses received $25 gift certificates.
"We've tried to find ways to help our people feel better. If they feel better, they're going to work better," Whitmore said.
The company has sponsored on-site wellness classes such as body toning, yoga and a nutritionist. In the nutritionist's first six weeks of working with eight people on weight loss, the group lost more than 100 pounds combined, Whitmore said.
Not just private
Wellness initiatives are expanding into the public sector, too.
More than 600 Rock County employees and spouses took health risk assessments in February as part of a new wellness/preventive care plan adopted so far by non-union employees and members of four of the county's 10 unions, Becker said.
Mandatory annual health risk assessments will be required for those employees taking the county's health insurance plan, he said. Ten percent of premiums also will be tied to an employee's participation in wellness activities starting next year.
While the county always has paid 100 percent of employees' premiums, that will change to 90 percent in 2010, and employees will have to gain the other 10 percent by earning points in wellness participation during the previous year, Becker said.
Early detection
Employers save money if they are diagnosed early, for example, with diabetes and can treat the disease rather than paying for amputations down the road, Becker said. The same is true for paying for a colonoscopy to intervene before colon cancer develops, he said.
"It's saving tens of thousands of dollars," he said. "We're adding wellness benefits in exchange for responsibility on the part of employees."
Many health issues surfaced as a result of the county's 607 assessments, Becker said. Consider what people didn't realize they had:
-- 12 people with anemia.
-- One with a bleeding disorder.
-- Nine with diabetes.
-- Seven with high blood pressure.
-- 38 with high cholesterol.
-- One with kidney disease.
-- 26 with potential liver disease.
-- One likely with prostate cancer.
-- 19 with a thyroid disorder.
"All (are) people who did not know that," Becker said.
Results of the assessments remain anonymous to the employer.
"The data is purely for the employee," Becker said. "That's for them to decide what they want to do to follow up."
What to expect
A recent survey found 27 percent of Milwaukee businesses have implemented employee wellness plans, said Jessica Raddemann, executive director of the Wisconsin affiliate of the Wellness Councils of America.
The state council is a nonprofit organization that serves more than 400 Wisconsin employers in designing wellness programs that serve more than 450,000 employees.
The Wellness Council recommends employers looking to start results-oriented plans to spend between $100 and $150 per employee annually, Raddemann said.
Returns on investment are $3 or more for every $1 invested, she said.
"It's not going to happen overnight," she said. "Employers should estimate two to three years turnaround time to see a return on investment."
Those returns won't be seen just in health care costs but in lower absentee rates, improved morale and productivity.
"We know health promotion makes good business sense," Raddemann said. "Employers are realizing employees' health is an investment in the bottom line."
Aug 14, 2008 at 1:51 p.m.
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A Wellness program is a good thing for both employers and employees, the only down side is a poor plan. Mr Becker has offered County employees a poor plan that is based on punishment, not incentives. Incentive based plans have a high success rate, and are cheaper for everyone in the long run. Punishment run programs like Becker's are designed to fail, and make employees pay more (including the co-pays and deductables that Mr Becker forgot to include), and eventually employers pay more too.
The plan offered as is by Becker fails to meet standars set by the Federal Government. He has put Rock County into a situation where employees currently under his program may be seeking relief through the Federal Courts. This will cost all county taxpayers.
Aug 13, 2008 at 9 a.m.
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I think the study helps show us that genetics play a large part in determining your health not just your weight. If those of us in the working world will soon have to participate in these types of wellness programs, are there any plans to make individuals on Medicaid participate in these types of programs? If a person on Medicaid is able to participate in a wellness program, shouldn't they have to also?
Aug 12, 2008 at 10:40 p.m.
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Hefty and healthy? Keep dreamin' shag. For every study that shows it's healthy to be fat there are 10 that show the health problems it causes.
Aug 12, 2008 at 9:08 p.m.
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"More than 600 Rock County employees and spouses took health risk assessments in February..."
Children do not take the screenings.
Aug 12, 2008 at 4:06 p.m.
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When the accident is not your fault, does your insurance go up? Mine didn't.
Thank you Gina.
Thank you Shag.
Aug 12, 2008 at 3:44 p.m.
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Safe drivers get better rates. Why shouldn't healthy people get better rates?
Aug 12, 2008 at 3:27 p.m.
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directory,
County employees found out their test results through a mailing sent to their home from the company contracted to do the assessments, John Becker said. The county only receives a summary of the results such as the conditions listed in the story, but nothing that identifies employees or ties anyone to a certain health issue, he said.
-Reporter Gina Duwe
Aug 12, 2008 at 3:20 p.m.
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http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/08/1...
Aug 12, 2008 at 3:16 p.m.
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Welcome to the real world. I have to pay for my own health insurance and they ask all kinds of questions about your lifestyle. The better health you are in the lower the cost.
Aug 12, 2008 at 2:56 p.m.
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Thin healthy people have heart attacks.
Babies are born with disabilities requiring surgery and therapy.
Why do I have to discuss any of this with anyone but my physician.
How did the county employees who had issues find out about those issues? From their Supervisors?
Aug 12, 2008 at 2:52 p.m.
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What about having lower cost insurance for healthy people who have healthy lifestyles and higher rates for overweight, smoking, couch potatoes. Health insurance should be like car insurance, the lower the risk, the lower the rate. Its not about punishment, it is about people paying fairly based on their own lifestyle.
Aug 12, 2008 at 1:45 p.m.
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Great idea! Too bad my employer did not do this.
Aug 12, 2008 at 1:09 p.m.
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If all the results are not available to the employer how does he know about all those health issues that the employees were not aware of. FYI Hopefully it will not affect anyone but he forgot to mention that they snuck a drug test in while doing the blood work without anyone being aware of it.
Aug 12, 2008 at 1:06 p.m.
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No one at the county has addressed how employees will get to handle their disabled children. The disabled children that are known, will not pass any of the screenings the county will be forcing the employee and his/her family to take on the family plan. The employee will then be forced to pay 10%. Is this legal to punish the disabled? That is why the unions are fighting it. One of the many reasons.
County employees want to be healthy, but they do not want to be in a big brother society.
Aug 12, 2008 at 1:05 p.m.
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If you are overweight, don't exercise, smoke, and take $500 of prescription pills every month because of your lifestyle to control your blood pressure and cholestrol, why shouldn't you pay more than the person who takes care of themselves and has limited health claims?
Aug 12, 2008 at 12:59 p.m.
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I was mistaken for a "socialist" in another blog. Well this sounds like socialism. Becker from Rock County is famous for being a self interest driver for the corporate, at the expense of appearing to care for the employee. He is one of the 'hatchet men' that keeps life so miserable for the county employees and fights the union. Anyway, this would be a great idea, but is it always going to be applicable?
Lab Safety's work atmosphere allows for this work out and relax time, but try doing that as a Sheriff's deputy or jail officer or dispatcher etc etc.! People should do their part to help ease the health care system's burden, I do agree with that, but.....can they force it? Penalize it? And what do they do to help. It's hard to exercise, when you have a family, and already work 60 hours a week with an employer who won't even settle on a reasonable contract, and can't or won't get the job atmosphere improved. By the way folks, why was the medical histories broken down into exact details like it is above? A little too much info again?
Aug 12, 2008 at 12:51 p.m.
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Wait a minute. People DON'T want to be healthy? And they frame being unhealthy as a personal freedom? It's almost funny, except it's tragic.
Aug 12, 2008 at 12:46 p.m.
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It's funny when things are bad for us or not healthy we want it and we will do most anything to get it...but when things are good for us we run away from it and complain that its not right and call the "UNION". Look at the good this program can do for its employees! I think it is a great thing that an employer cares for the health of their people even if it is a possible money saver for the company. They obviously spent the money they save in insurance wisely so far.
Aug 12, 2008 at 12:34 p.m.
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You are so right intheloop! Afterall, Isn't an Employee Wellness Plan suppose to benefit the employees? How does imposing penalties on sick or unhealthy employees help? I believe there might be some Federal Case Law that ALL Rock County Unions should be looking into.
Aug 12, 2008 at noon
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People need to shift the responsibility of personal care from the health care system/providers/insurance to themselves. One cannot expect just because they have insurance, they can have an unhealthy lifestyle and if something is wrong, that's what they have insurance - a $15 copay, or $150 deductible will fix potential of hundreds of thousands of dollars of medical bills. Programs like the one at Lab Safety raise Health Care Literacy and get people involved. According to the CDC, PREVENTABLE illnesses and medical conditions comprise approx 90% of this nations $1.4 trillion dollars for medical health care costs. TOTAL $1.26 Trillion dollars are preventable. Education and awareness are the first steps and also the lowest costs for all of us to fix the issues.
Aug 12, 2008 at 11:21 a.m.
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What Mr. Becker is not saying is that not only is he trying to force Rock County employees to participate but he is trying to force the spouses to be included in it also. How many people want to go home and tell their wife that she has to go jog a couple of times a week/month so that you can keep your insurance costs lower. Then they tell you you have to go to the doctor to get your cholesterol(sic)and such checked but you have to pay for it plus another $15 that Rock County makes you pay for making a DR. appt. It may save the company some money but the employees end up paying more anyways.
Aug 12, 2008 at 11:13 a.m.
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..."The program is not mandatory yet"
People think this is a good idea to save money, but it is pure evil. This is just the start of it, and it will get much, much worse. Expect to be told what to do, what to eat, and how to live your life in every respect, or you will pay extremely high insurance rates. If people want to save money on insurance, they need to look at how the federal government has mismanaged the senior health care programs so far. Your answer will be there.
Aug 12, 2008 at 10:27 a.m.
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Lab Safety has one of the nicest workout facilities around. While it may not be the JAC, it's still a nice perk for their employees. Lab Safety does a lot of cool stuff for their people.
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