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

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The president of Okemos, Mich.-based Weyco told a South Florida audience how he tests his staff for tobacco use with the promisde that repeat violators wouldbe fired. He requirerd employees and spouses to getannual physicals, eye and dentapl exams, plus twice-a-year physical fitness testws that include running on a treadmill. they must pay a higher health insurance Employees and spouses are given a health report card and on ways to improve thei health status orstay healthy. To help them meet thesed goals, Weyers put a fitness centerf inhis office, rid the vending machine of junk food and only allows food deliverer to the office on Fridays.
Whilew not all companies are so aggressive, businessesd nationwide are finding ways to motivate employeesx to improve their health to save on claims downthe "People say, 'This guy is a Weyers told the humann resources experts attending the Florida Health Care Coalition's Aug. 15 summif in Davie. "But I get along with my employeez great. You need to coach employeess on health like you do incustomefr service, quality and Weyco, a unit of that handlea health claims for self-insured also offers some carrots alongb with the sticks.
When employees use preventive service s or meet their healthgoals - such as losinbg weight or completing health classes - the company depositse money into their health savings accounts. All of this is but Weyers views it asa long-ternm investment in his employees. "I ask employers: 'Howe do you look at the lifestylwe decisions of employees that effect your bottom line andthe employees' Weyers said. Health costs have continued to increase fasterd than inflationand salaries. This has forcecd more companies to drop reduce benefits or shift coststo employees. Some humaj resources experts believe that these methods of dealinvg with cost increasesare counter-productive.
The best way to stem the risinhg cost ofhealth care, they is to prevent illness. "The modek of health care in this countrhy is to find a problem andhit it, rathef than prevention," said Robert Hays, director of the health administratiobn program at . "The big questiojn is changing lifestyles across the We aren't very good at it." Susab Pantely, a principal with , a Seattle-basee health care consulting firm, said employers are paying a largee amount of their claims because of employees with unhealthhy lifestyles. Being overweight or obese - a condition of 64 percent and 29 percent of employeeseand spouses, respectively - is a contributor to increasede health risk.
Pantely said one-thirr of employees and spouses have metabolicsyndrome (the combination of factors such as a largd waistline, pre-diabetic signs and troubling levels of cholesterol and blood pressure). health costs are 48 percent higher for employees with obesitu and metabolic syndrome when compared toothet workers, said Pantely, who called them "tickinb time bombs." Plus, these workers are more likelyu to miss time and not be she added.
The irony is that most health benefits cover the costlyy surgeries and drugs that result fromthesd conditions, but not the much-less-expensive wellness care that coulcd have prevented them, Pantely Adding an obesity management programn typically costs 75 centsx per member each she said. Smoking cessation is 45 centx per member, while covering behavior therapy for obesity costs less than 30 cents a membeer andcovering weight-loss drugs is 3 cents a member. Offerint gym memberships is also cost-effective, Pantely said. "If we got doctorw to write a prescription for sneakers, they woulde be better off," she said.
Health plans in Southb Florida are boosting their wellness offeringes andgetting results. In January, Hollywood-basee rolled out a program for its 10 largest employersa that included free gym memberships and free access to a healtn information Web site and online health counselor for employeesz who get healthrisk assessments. There were 65,000 Vista members eligible forthesee programs. Ten percent used the Web site and 5.4 perceng used the gym, the company said.
By monitoringy members who usethese programs, it found they are losing weighgt and lowering their blood pressure, said Cathty Aguirre, Vista's VP of account The company is waiting to see the financiall results before deciding whethe to expand it to other members, she said. For now, the challengew is getting themost at-risi people to participate.