Health

HEALTH • Winter 2017 23 Wellness boosts business as well as employees W hen's the last time you heard of a small business in Massachusetts cutting its annual health insurance costs by 7.5 percent? Never? Well read on, because it happened this year at a machine shop in Leominster. F&M Tool and Die is a well-estab- lished fabricator of injection molds for the plastics industry. The com- pany has 22 full-time employees and had seen health insurance costs rise dramatically in recent years. Offering a good health insurance plan is important to F&M's presi- dent and owner, Michael Gasbarro. It's vital for employee morale, recruitment and retention, so man- aging costs is a priority. That's why I suggested F&M enroll in the Healthy Actions program offered by their carrier, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. "For my business, this is huge," Gasbarro said. "It's important for the bottom line, but more importantly, it helps our folks stay healthy." Cash for doctor visits Many insurance carriers have some limited forms of wellness pro- grams, but the key attribute of Healthy Actions, in my view, is that it aligns significant financial incen- tives for both the employer and employees to take concrete actions that can improve health. First and foremost, the program prompts employees to see their pri- mary care physician for a physical. Employees go for an exam and if their results are within normal guidelines, they get a $300 gift card. If an employee has a medical issue to address, like high blood pressure or high cholesterol, they develop a treatment plan and they still get a $100 gift card for taking the initia- tive to get a physical. If they show improvement at a second exam later that year, they can earn an addition- al $200 gift card. The upside for the business is tied to the number of employees who participate, so success takes a com- mitment from the owner and senior management, both on the adminis- trative side, and in terms of person- al leadership. Without genuine advocacy, getting the needed partic- ipation from employees could be tough and that will limit any poten- tial premium savings. When it all works, however, the benefits are substantial. Ultimately, over 80 percent of F&M's eligible employees participated in the pro- gram and that qualified the compa- ny to earn the maximum rebate—a 7.5 percent reduction of its annual health insurance premium. In addition to the Healthy Actions program, this year we worked with F&M to run its first on-site health and wellness fair. That morning the staff had training on good posture, stretching and safe-lifting practices to help prevent injuries. There were experts on hand to do spinal screenings, seated massage, talk about nutrition and how to avoid Lyme disease. The most effective tool This example should be a remind- er that as healthcare reform is batted around in Washington D.C. and on Beacon Hill, it's important to keep wellness incentives in place, especial- ly for small businesses and their employees. Keeping people healthy should be a universal goal. Having worked with small and mid-size companies for more than 25 years, I have seen the struggles business owners face as premiums rise. Too often they just throw up their hands in frustration, saying there is nothing they can do to con- trol their insurance costs, because they don't have the scale or flexibility that larger companies do to negotiate rates. The truth, however, is there are steps small businesses can take to make a difference. Promoting well- ness is perhaps the most effective tool we have to help both employees and business owners. Vanessa Costa is principal and co-founder of Worcester-based Advantage Benefits Group, an employee benefits management firm. BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION By Venessa Costa Central Mass. HEALTH CARE e-news weekly SIGN UP TODAY! In this targeted weekly email newsletter, we'll report on the news, changes and trends in our region's health care industry. You'll find interviews of industry leaders, news on health care providers and insurers and close coverage of the industry that has the largest base of employment in the region. There will also be links to top statewide and national health care stories of interest to our audience. If you're an executive in a health care organization, a senior manager in a business who's in charge of keeping up with the latest changes affecting your company or an active and interested consumer, our new Health Care e-news weekly will be a must read for you! Stay informed with our weekly e-newsletter Sign up today to receive it FREE www.wbjournal.com/enews Produced by the publishers of Worcester Business Journal The Region's Quarterly Health Care Magazine HEALTH C E N T R A L M A S S A C H U S E T T S HEALTH CARE Enews Worcester Business Journal WBJ H

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