Health and wellness programs are more important than ever. The success of these programs requires more than just good ideas. More than half of all US companies have some sort of health and wellness programs, but there’s a clear decider between the successful and the unsuccessful programs. An article from Fast Company reviewed various health and wellness programs and found that successful wellness programs should be holistic in nature, taking into account every aspect of an employee’s wellness, to include the time when they aren’t at work. Including wellness incentives helps make this possible. With a health and wellness incentive program participants are rewarded for desired health and wellness behaviors. Points-based incentive programs lend themselves well to health incentive programs. For example, participants in a points-based health program could earn points for activities such as putting together a meal plan with a nutritionist, participating in a health screening, attending a company yoga class, setting up mental health sessions, using a step counter to monitor their steps, etc. Those points can then be redeemed in a rewards marketplace for merchandise, gift cards, and other rewards. It’s worth getting your wellness program right. Implementing effective measures will help your bottom line. For […]
Tag: Wellness Incentives
Best Practices for Workplace Health and Wellness Incentive Programs
Understanding what you can and cannot do with participation incentives with the enforcement of the Affordable Health Care Act can be a slippery slope if you are not well informed. The Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and the Treasury have revised the rules on wellness programs to reflect the changes and clarifications to the existing health and wellness provisions made by the health care law. What does that mean to you? Simple. It is more important than ever, to understand what changes have taken place (and stay current) when developing and revising a health and wellness program in group health coverage. Is it been appropriately designed, and does it protect your participants? These discounts represent two significant differences from most wellness incentives once offered by employers and health plans: the incentives are now focused on outcomes rather than participation, and the magnitude of the discount is much greater. Here are some rules to consider: It is important to protect consumers from unfair practices; regulations are in place to require health-contingent wellness programs to follow certain rules, including: Whether you are a self-insured company or a health and wellness provider, there are published rules that specify the types […]
