The Affordable Care Act and Implications on Corporate Wellness

Fans of the blog will remember Leah Evert, one of our amazing Senior Program Managers who is also a U.S. Army reservist and registered dietitian. I'm pleased to share Leah's thoughts on the Affordable Care Act and what the law means for wellness:

As 2014 approaches, HR and wellness professionals will need to familiarize themselves with the Affordable Care Act and its implications on wellness. There will be significant changes to the way we look at disease, particularly with regard to disease prevention versus disease management. These changes will also firmly establish wellness as a core component of health care. Although many of the changes are yet to be defined, we do know that several changes going into effect on January 1, 2014 will impact the way we run these programs.

Starting January 1, the ACA will begin to support coverage of many new preventative screenings, tests, and counseling services, as well as some employer wellness programming. This means that biometric tests and additional wellness services may be at least partially funded by the federal government -- and therefore must comply with federal and state guidelines such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, GINA, and HIPAA.

Additionally, we’ll see a change in an employer’s required contribution to health insurance premiums:

• Small businesses (fewer than 25 full-time employees) will be eligible for tax credits to offset healthcare premium costs. 
• Medium size businesses (fewer than 50 full-time employees) will be exempt from new employer responsibility policies and costs but will have an opportunity to receive federal grant funding to support wellness programs. 
• Larger businesses (more than 50 full-time employees) will be required to pay at least 60% of their employees’ minimal essential coverage. Large businesses who don’t comply with this regulation will be required to pay an annual fine of $2,000 - $3,000 per employee.

As employers take greater responsibility for their employees' health, they will have increasing financial stock in their well-being. The average health insurance plan offered by a large employer costs $15,745 annually -- a significant investment in the health of employees and their families. More than ever, an employee's health status will have a direct impact on the employer's bottom line.

Although details regarding the new ACA are still forthcoming, the implication of the law is clear: preventative health is key to reducing health care costs in the long run. Working with an expert third-party wellness vendor is crucial, not only to ensure compliance with federal regulations but to craft a comprehensive wellness strategy that maximizes return on investment.

Given that the average wellness program reduces medical costs $3.27 for every dollar spent, investing in your employees' health is money well spent.

A Total Health Strategy is Needed to Get Results

Stuart M. Sutley at Total Health Management, Inc. is an expert on population risk management and is one of our closest partners. He has written a wonderful piece on why a total health strategy -- bringing together all aspects of an employee's health -- is essential to fixing the nation's health care system. You can read Stuart's article here (PDF). Highly recommended!

3 Ways to Bring Wellness to Your Office Tomorrow

Last week I blogged about a workplace in the DC area that allows only vegan food. It's an extreme approach, I'll admit -- and one that wouldn't fly at most workplaces. But here's the good news: You can encourage your employees to eat healthier without risking a mutiny. Here are just a few ideas: 

Rework birthday celebrations. Instead of traditional birthday cake and ice cream, try angel food cake (a healthier alternative), fresh strawberries and blueberries, and vanilla nonfat yogurt. It's always a hit at our office -- and not just with our dietitians!

Start a tradition. Every Friday is Salad Friday at Wellness Corporate Solutions. We've found it to be a great way to get everyone together at least once a week for a healthy meal. If salads aren't your thing, how about a healthy potluck lunch once a month? The point is to pick a healthy tradition and stick to it. Soon it'll be part of your culture.

Commit to healthier meetings. If a box of donuts sits at the head of your conference table, start thinking about healthier alternatives: fresh fruit, healthy nuts, or fresh veggies. Sure, it may take a bit more effort at first, but it sends a clear message to your employees: wellness is a priority.

So what are your ideas for encouraging healthy eating at work? Let me know in the comments section below.

Biometric Screenings and Data Reporting

In the early days of corporate wellness, companies weren't doing much with the mountain of data generated by their programs. Today, it's a very different story. Biometric screening results are integrated with health risk assessment data. Populations are stratified by risk for outreach and coaching. Complex incentive programs are coordinated and managed. Wellness in 2013 is data-centered and data-driven.

Manual data processing is simply not the way of the future. Aside from being expensive, error-prone, and time-consuming, old-fashioned data entry is just so 20th century. It amazes me that some screening vendors still rely on manual data-collection methods.

Existing paperless solutions didn't quite fit the bill, so we created our own and named it ScreenSMART. Instead of paper results forms, our screeners use tablet devices to record data and transmit it to our secure database, in real time. ScreenSMART requires no IT support and uses SSL protocol encryption -- the same level of security used by banks to protect online transactions.

It's also free. We didn't think it was fair to ask our clients to pay more for technology that everyone should be using anyway!

For more information about ScreenSMART and how it can improve the data flow of your next screening, just drop us a line.

Workplace Wellness: An Entire Office Goes Vegan

When the Washington Post declared Wellness Corporate Solutions the healthiest workplace in the Washington, DC area -- how's that for a shameless plug? -- several of our current employees said that simply working in our office had made them healthier. I call it positive peer pressure: if your coworkers eat well and junk food is scarce, you might be less likely to bring in fast food for lunch. It would just seem out of place.

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) has gone about fifty steps further by actually banning all food that isn't vegan. (You can read all about it in today's Washington Post.) Every new employee is notified when they're hired that their office is a vegan-only zone.

It may seem like madness to some, but I see a method it it. PCRM has a clear mission -- to promote preventive medicine -- and they expect their workplace to reflect that mission. Whatever you feel about the policy, you have to admit: they certainly have the courage of their convictions!

Wellness Program Incentives and Discrimination

One of the lingering questions about wellness program incentives, especially outcomes-based programs that require employees to meet specific health benchmarks to qualify for a reward, is how they'll be viewed by the courts. It's definitely an issue to watch.

Judith Lichtman, Senior Advisor at the National Partnership for Women & Families, recently submitted testimony about wellness incentives to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Her opinion is that some results-based incentive strategies could be seen as a violation of employment nondiscrimination laws if they penalize women, older employees, or racial minorities disproportionately. (Thanks to our friend at Kaiser Permanente for the tip!)