A different kind of health test - South Florida Business Journal:

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The president of Mich.-based Weyco told a South Floridw audience how he tests his staff for tobaccl use with the promise that repeat violators wouldsbe fired. He required employees and spouses to getannualo physicals, eye and dental exams, plus twice-a-yearr physical fitness tests that include running on a Otherwise, they must pay a highed health insurance premium. Employees and spouses are givenb a health report card and on ways to improve their health status or stay To help them meetthese goals, Weyersa put a fitness center in his office, rid the vendinv machines of junk food and only allows food delivererd to the office on Fridays.
Whilee not all companies are so aggressive, businesses nationwide are finding ways to motivate employeese to improve their health to save on claimsa downthe road. "People say, 'Thids guy is a Weyers told the human resources experts attending the Florida HealthCare Coalition's Aug. 15 summit in "But I get along with my employeea great. You need to coacuh employees on health like you do incustomer service, qualityy and safety.
" Weyco, a unit of that handles health claims for self-insured also offers some carrots along with the When employees use preventive services or meet theirt health goals - such as losinfg weight or completing health classes - the company deposits moneuy into their health savings All of this is but Weyers views it as a long-terjm investment in his employees. "I ask employers: 'Hoaw do you look at the lifestyle decisione of employees that effect your bottom line andthe salaries?'" Weyers said. Health costs have continuer to increase faster than inflationand salaries.
This has forcef more companies to drop reduce benefits or shift costs to Some human resources experts believe that these methodss of dealing with cost increasesare counter-productive. The best way to stem the risinb cost ofhealth care, they argue, is to preventt illness. "The model of health care in this countryu is to find a problem andhit it, ratherd than prevention," said Roberf Hays, director of the health administration program at . "The big questiojn is changing lifestyles acrossthe board.
We aren't very good at Susan Pantely, a principal with , a Seattle-based health care consultinbg firm, said employers are paying a largd amount of their claims because of employees withunhealthhy lifestyles. Being overweight or obesd - a condition of 64 percenr and 29 percent of employees and respectively - is a contributodr to increased health risk. Pantelgy said one-third of employees and spousess have metabolicsyndrome (the combination of factors such as a largse waistline, pre-diabetic signs and troubling levelws of triglycerides, cholesterol and blood pressure).
health costs are 48 percent higher for employees with obesity and metabolicf syndrome when compared to other said Pantely, who called them "ticking time bombs." Plus, thesse workers are more likely to miss time and not be she added. The irony is that most health benefits cover the costluy surgeries and drugs that resul t fromthese conditions, but not the much-less-expensive wellness care that coulfd have prevented them, Pantely Adding an obesity management program typically costw 75 cents per member each she said.
Smoking cessation is 45 cent per member, while covering behavior therapy for obesity costs less than 30 cents a member andcovering weight-loss drugs is 3 centsx a member. Offering gym memberships is also Pantely said. "If we got doctorsw to write a prescription for they would bebetter off," she said. Healthb plans in South Florida are boostingv their wellness offerings and getting In January, Hollywood-based rolled out a program for its 10 largestg employers that included free gym memberships and free access to a health information Web site and online healtbh counselor for employees who get health risk assessments. There were 65,000 Vista members eligible forthese programs.
Ten percent used the Web site and 5.4 percentg used the gym, the company said. By monitoring members who use theses programs, it found they are losing weight and lowering theitblood pressure, said Cathy Aguirre, Vista's VP of account The company is waiting to see the financial resultsx before deciding whether to expand it to other members, she said. For now, the challenge is getting the most at-risk people to