Posts
The insurance industry and the federal government appear to be at war. They aren’t. Sure, there are times when a Congressman or the President may by vilifying my industry or some CEO is denigrating an entire political party, but these are just words and much of it is for show. As Sam Donaldson once remarked, “This is Washington. Only the amateurs get mad.” The government needs the insurers. And we all need the government.
The government / insurance industry partnership manifests itself in a number of ways. Today we are going to explore WELLNESS.
In my March 23, 2009 post, Protect Me From Myself, I discussed how my industry has been pushing Responsibility. If you would only take better care of yourself, quit smoking, and exercise more, your health care costs would decrease and your insurance might be more reasonable.
Allegedly, 75% of all claims are due to lifestyle. That’s our number and we are sticking to it.
The government has decided to test the theory. Employers are being encouraged to institute Outcome Based Wellness Programs. The employer hires an outside contractor to come in the factory or office, mostly factories, and meet with each employee. The goal of each interview:
Complete a comprehensive health care questionnaire
Record the employee’s height and weight
Take the employee’s blood pressure
Draw blood for comprehensive lab tests
Armed with this information, the wellness company can now coach the employee to quit smoking, lose weight, or better monitor his/her blood pressure. The employer is allowed to set goals for the employees and charge up to 20% more for the company’s health insurance for non-compliance.
One of these contractors, Bravo Wellness, has a helpful DVD that explains the concept. The featured employer set goals for his employees targeting:
Blood Pressure
Cholesterol
Body Mass Index
Smoking Cessation
He penalized the employees who either fell short or chose to not participate.
Programs like this require both the carrot and the stick. Employers are encouraged to incentivize (pay) their workforce to take the initial exam and screenings. People don’t rush to disclose their health information. One contractor told me that the going rate was $300. Armed with this info, the employer can institute programs to encourage better behavior.
According to the National Association of Health Underwriters Corporate Wellness Certification Program, the return on investment (ROI) on Wellness is projected as:
34% - Increased Presenteeism
25% - Reduced Medical Costs
36% - Reduced Absenteeism
5% - Reduced Disability and Workmen’s Comp claims
Seventy percent of the projected return on investment of Wellness programs are from a reduction in absenteeism and an increase in presenteeism. In other words, fewer people will call off work and those who do show up will be more focused and productive if you have a Wellness program. The other thirty percent comes from reduced medical, disability, and Workmen’s Compensation costs.
Are there enough measurable gains to make this worthwhile for an employer or is this just a gimmick? The answer – it depends. A small employer, where the owners interact with the workforce on a daily basis, might find the intrusion into the employees’ personal lives uncomfortable and inappropriate. Large employers might have no difficulty imposing a company’s lifestyle values, such as no smoking or a 27 BMI, on their faceless workers.
And that brings us back to the government. We are getting mixed messages from this administration. As the federal government berates insurers for charging extra for preexisting conditions, it also welcomes penalties for lifestyle conditions such as uncontrolled cholesterol. This may be the test run for future government run health care programs. Will the federal health plans charge these people extra? Will the feds equate a 22 BMI with a good driving discount? Will Uncle Sam be monitoring your weight?
There’s a plate of Christmas cookies on the table. Did you ask your boss or the government if two would be OK?
DAVE
www.bogartcunix.com
Monday, December 20, 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Priorities
Retiring Representative John Shadegg (R-AZ) has been a frequent guest on Morning Joe, MSNBC’s morning news and talk show. The show’s namesake and principle host is former Republican Congressman Joe Scarborough. Mr. Shadegg has always been particularly candid on Morning Joe. I caught his November 30th appearance.
Congressman Shadegg extolled the virtues of the Bush tax cuts. He warned of dire consequences if taxes reverted to the rates of the 1990’s, even if only for people making over a million dollars per year. Actually, he was most concerned about those in the top tier.
How would we pay for continuing these cuts? These tax cuts were temporary because we couldn’t pay for them nine years ago. But reducing the tax rate was supposed to be such a powerful economic driver that the resultant job creation would have more than offset the short term loss of revenue. That hasn’t happened yet. But, according to Congressman Shadegg, continuing the Bush era tax cuts will ensure a reduction in unemployment.
Congressman Shadegg’s empathy was highly selective, especially when it came to the unemployed. He was very concerned about the tax cuts that could create jobs, but not terribly worried about those people who are actually unemployed. When it came to extending the unemployment benefits for the victims of the worst recession in seventy years, Mr. Shadegg suddenly became focused on every dollar coming to and leaving from Washington. He was positive that we couldn’t afford to continue benefits to the out of work. He implied that it was a waste of money. He opined that the unemployed wouldn’t stimulate the economy since they would just hoard the money.
Mike Barnicle: “Let’s get back to what you said about unemployment checks. People don’t spend that money?”
Representative Shadegg: “No, they will spend as little as they can because they’ll hold on to it as long as they can. In reality, they don’t create jobs.”
Yes, this is Health Insurance Issues With Dave and yes, the above has everything to do with the delivery of health care in this country. Watching Representative Shadegg the other day reminded me of why I have always been concerned about single payer, government run health care.
If nothing else, the last ten years have shown us that you may have to be thirty years old to serve in the U. S. Senate, but you don’t have to be an adult. Ten years ago, at the end of a major financial growth spurt, instead of saving money for the upcoming lean period (think Joseph’s interpretation of Pharaoh’s dream), we cut taxes. When we were attacked and went to war, our youth were asked to sacrifice twice, first in blood and secondly by being saddled with incredible debt. We then invaded Iraq, but still didn’t ask the American public for any sacrifice.
Somewhere along the way we screwed up the housing market, forgot the real purpose of banks, and sold our financial soul to China. And now we have well over 10% of our workforce unemployed and we are debating whether their food and shelter are national priorities.
Ten years from now. Twenty years from now. At some point when we have all been herded into a government run health care system, will your surgery be a future Congressman Shadegg’s priority? Will this government program, unlike all other government programs, be properly funded?
You don’t have to like Medical Mutual, Anthem, or UnitedHealth Care. You may even be really ticked at the annual rate increases. But, your policy will perform as per your contract and the insurer will always have the money to pay your claim.
Keith Olbermann has been highlighting the current mess in Arizona. Governor Jan Brewer has eliminated coverage for transplants from the State’s Medicaid program. Arizona can’t afford transplants. The eighty-some people who were waiting for lungs, kidneys or livers aren’t her priority.
The President and Congress have a lot of issues to tackle in the next few weeks during the lame duck session. Tax Cuts. Unemployment Benefits. Estate Taxes. Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. A war or two. And, Harry Reid wants to talk about gambling. They all have their own agendas. Compromises will be made. Some bills will be signed.
And somewhere in Arizona there is a young woman with Cystic Fibrosis waiting for a lung…
DAVE
www.bogartcunix.com
Congressman Shadegg extolled the virtues of the Bush tax cuts. He warned of dire consequences if taxes reverted to the rates of the 1990’s, even if only for people making over a million dollars per year. Actually, he was most concerned about those in the top tier.
How would we pay for continuing these cuts? These tax cuts were temporary because we couldn’t pay for them nine years ago. But reducing the tax rate was supposed to be such a powerful economic driver that the resultant job creation would have more than offset the short term loss of revenue. That hasn’t happened yet. But, according to Congressman Shadegg, continuing the Bush era tax cuts will ensure a reduction in unemployment.
Congressman Shadegg’s empathy was highly selective, especially when it came to the unemployed. He was very concerned about the tax cuts that could create jobs, but not terribly worried about those people who are actually unemployed. When it came to extending the unemployment benefits for the victims of the worst recession in seventy years, Mr. Shadegg suddenly became focused on every dollar coming to and leaving from Washington. He was positive that we couldn’t afford to continue benefits to the out of work. He implied that it was a waste of money. He opined that the unemployed wouldn’t stimulate the economy since they would just hoard the money.
Mike Barnicle: “Let’s get back to what you said about unemployment checks. People don’t spend that money?”
Representative Shadegg: “No, they will spend as little as they can because they’ll hold on to it as long as they can. In reality, they don’t create jobs.”
Yes, this is Health Insurance Issues With Dave and yes, the above has everything to do with the delivery of health care in this country. Watching Representative Shadegg the other day reminded me of why I have always been concerned about single payer, government run health care.
If nothing else, the last ten years have shown us that you may have to be thirty years old to serve in the U. S. Senate, but you don’t have to be an adult. Ten years ago, at the end of a major financial growth spurt, instead of saving money for the upcoming lean period (think Joseph’s interpretation of Pharaoh’s dream), we cut taxes. When we were attacked and went to war, our youth were asked to sacrifice twice, first in blood and secondly by being saddled with incredible debt. We then invaded Iraq, but still didn’t ask the American public for any sacrifice.
Somewhere along the way we screwed up the housing market, forgot the real purpose of banks, and sold our financial soul to China. And now we have well over 10% of our workforce unemployed and we are debating whether their food and shelter are national priorities.
Ten years from now. Twenty years from now. At some point when we have all been herded into a government run health care system, will your surgery be a future Congressman Shadegg’s priority? Will this government program, unlike all other government programs, be properly funded?
You don’t have to like Medical Mutual, Anthem, or UnitedHealth Care. You may even be really ticked at the annual rate increases. But, your policy will perform as per your contract and the insurer will always have the money to pay your claim.
Keith Olbermann has been highlighting the current mess in Arizona. Governor Jan Brewer has eliminated coverage for transplants from the State’s Medicaid program. Arizona can’t afford transplants. The eighty-some people who were waiting for lungs, kidneys or livers aren’t her priority.
The President and Congress have a lot of issues to tackle in the next few weeks during the lame duck session. Tax Cuts. Unemployment Benefits. Estate Taxes. Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. A war or two. And, Harry Reid wants to talk about gambling. They all have their own agendas. Compromises will be made. Some bills will be signed.
And somewhere in Arizona there is a young woman with Cystic Fibrosis waiting for a lung…
DAVE
www.bogartcunix.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)