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Employers Aim to Stick with Wellness Despite Hurdles
New compliance hurdles and possible changes from health care reform
aren't chasing employers away from wellness programs, although many
companies are exploring new ways to get workers involved.
 A survey by Fidelity
Investments and the National Business Group on Health (NBGH) found that
91 percent of polled companies expect to keep their wellness program
regardless of any changes that might come out of Washington.
Workers also are eager to participate in the programs, according
to a separate survey by the Principal Financial Group. The employee
poll found that 47 percent of employees say they either participate in
a workplace wellness program or would like to join one.
Despite all this enthusiasm, wellness programs face some real
challenges. The most recent wrinkle involves the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2009
(GINA), which prohibits employers from collecting data on family health
history if the plan offers incentives to participate.
Some employers say the law is smothering their wellness efforts
because it keeps them from offering incentives to complete health
surveys, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.
Still, many employers say they want to keep their programs and find
ways around the regulations.
For instance, Sparks Nugget Inc. in Nevada plans to offer two health
risk assessment forms at this year's company health fair: one with
family-history questions and one without. Nurses will give the first
form to the employees to take to their next doctor's visit. The second
goes to the company's benefits department.
"I'm not going to get rid of the incentive," said
Larry Harvey, the company's executive vice president of human
resources.
Harvey is not alone in his support
of wellness incentives. The Fidelity/NBGH report found that 57 percent
of wellness programs include incentives that have a cash value to
encourage participation.
Still, GINA is making it harder for employers to run their
plans, and some are looking for ways to get employees involved without
costly incentives.
Advocate Health Care, a faith-based integrated health care
system, recently created a video that demonstrated the value of
wellness and how employees could access the benefits. The company saw a
whopping 127 percent increase in participation when they used the
video with their other recruitment tools.
While many companies are willing to spend time and money
starting a program, many employers don't bother measuring the outcomes
of their programs. The Fidelity/NBGH poll found 27 percent of companies
don't evaluate their programs' progress, and 65 percent have no
measurable goals.
"Wellness programs are now a standard workplace benefit as
employers recognize the need to invest in initiatives that help
employees to better manage their health, given that health care costs
continue to soar," said Sunit Patel of Fidelity. "However, when
it comes to measurement, wellness programs are in their infancy. Most
employers need help establishing clear program goals and measuring the
impact these programs have on the overall well-being and productivity
of their employees."
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