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Post by mikklynn on Jan 15, 2018 17:56:07 GMT
Ugh...venting here.
My employer requires us to participate in a wellness program every year or pay a huge increase in our health insurance premium. DH & I both must participate.
It's not a lot, but OMG they change it every freaking year! New log in requirements, new info to fill out, you get the idea.
It's a pain the ass and I guarantee it doesn't save our company a penny.
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Belle
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by Belle on Jan 15, 2018 18:07:32 GMT
DH's company did away with their wellness benefits for 2017 but brought back a modified version for 2018. The kicker, if you ALREADY belong to a health club then you don't qualify for the benefit!!!
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Post by mikklynn on Jan 15, 2018 18:08:53 GMT
DH's company did away with their wellness benefits for 2017 but brought back a modified version for 2018. The kicker, if you ALREADY belong to a health club then you don't qualify for the benefit!!! That's crazy. |
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Kerri W
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,768
Location: Kentucky
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Post by Kerri W on Jan 15, 2018 18:45:39 GMT
Ugh. DH's employer has the same thing. The positive for me though is that they have *finally* made it so quite a bit of the information carries over from year to year. It used to take me close to an hour to fill it out and this year it took about 10 minutes.
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mallie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,253
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Post by mallie on Jan 15, 2018 18:49:54 GMT
The worst was the employer who had mandatory use of pedometers. Plus they mandated a certain number of steps per day or you would get an increase in premiums
It was especially ridiculous because we were a 100% desk job organization and if you were to be away from your desk for any length of time (to say, walk to get in the required number of steps), you would be reprimanded. So people realized they could put it in their shoe and just jiggle their foot all day to get the number of required steps.
I refused and told them I would get an employment lawyer if they persisted. They made like Elsa and let it go.
Same employer as part of their wellness program mandated annual wellness physicals with certain doctors. The wellness physical was paid for. BUT if the doctor found anything wrong with you during the wellness physical, then they would not pay for it. And of course, these doctors charged WAY more than your regular doctor. So you had to go in and either refuse to answer any question that might lead to a "diagnosis" or "concern" or you had to lie. And the "anything wrong" could be as simple as telling you that you were due for a colonoscopy or mammogram. Yeah, great wellness program there.
(Oh, and this was a faith-based organization for the win.)
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Julie W
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,209
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Post by Julie W on Jan 15, 2018 18:52:38 GMT
Wow, sorry to hear about the craziness.
My employer has a wellness program where you can earn dollars towards a health spending account if you complete certain activities. So totally voluntary if you want that extra # to put towards bills and deductibles.
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Post by birdy on Jan 15, 2018 19:06:03 GMT
DH's employer too. I hate it. Lots of stupid surveys to fill out. But, it takes $200 off the plan, so I guess I"ll just deal with it. ugh!
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casii
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,461
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Post by casii on Jan 15, 2018 20:37:59 GMT
MY DH's employer does this as well, only they promote is as 'savings' if you participate vs raising your premiums. In the first few years they made it mandatory for both spouses to do the surveys, get a physical and have a phone consult with a health coach. I guess they got a lot of pushback because the past 2 years they walked it back to mandatory for the employee to do all of the above while the spouse only had to take the survey.
It felt really invasive for an employee to delve into every little detail about you. When I said I had a glass of wine with dinner a couple of nights a week, they suggested I may have a dependency.
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Post by monklady123 on Jan 15, 2018 20:42:46 GMT
DH's company did away with their wellness benefits for 2017 but brought back a modified version for 2018. The kicker, if you ALREADY belong to a health club then you don't qualify for the benefit!!! That's stupid. They should get extra credit for doing it before they were required to! I guess people could quit their health club and then join up again. |
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Post by MissBianca on Jan 15, 2018 20:54:42 GMT
I refuse to participate in the wellness programs. The odds are stacked against me in part because I’m short. If I weigh anymore that 120 I’ll be pinged as over weight and our insurance will go up. I look at a cookie and my weight goes up.
We also got $300 in an account this year for gym memberships, problem is there aren’t any gyms in CT that qualify. Besides I hate the gym, I have a home gym. I’m trying to get HR to sign off on using the money for road race entry fees but I can’t seem to get a straight answer on it.
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tuesdaysgone
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,832
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Post by tuesdaysgone on Jan 15, 2018 21:08:55 GMT
It is voluntary with my insurance and I did participate for a couple years only because my husband had a lot of medical issues and every bit of extra money we got at the time was very helpful. I think we earned $600 for participating. I hated it and found it very intrustive. I particiapted the very minimum amount I needed to just to earn the extra money.
I'm a grown woman who is healthy and smart and I didn't need to spend time with a phone coach, who was clearly reading from a script, telling me how to live a healthy lifestyle. When I completed the online portion and dealt with the phone calls, I just answered as if every aspect of my life was perfectly healthy.
I really don't want my insurer knowing anything more than the most basic information about me. Yes, you can call me paranoid, but I think they could use that information to make policy decisions at some point.
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Post by Jamie on Jan 15, 2018 21:34:23 GMT
We can earn up to $1600 (between myself and spouse) The biggest pain in ours is to get my husband to go in for his biometric screening. Overall it isn't bad. It takes about a month to complete all the items they want as you have to check in each day for a certain # of days per week to confirm you have done certain tasks.
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Post by katlady on Jan 15, 2018 21:48:46 GMT
My Company will pay for part of your gym membership, but the gym has to meet certain requirements. The big requirement is that the gym must have "machines". So places like Jazzercise and even CrossFit gyms do NOT qualify! I think that is crazy! And my Company doesn't have the other programs some of you have (i.e. screenings for reductions in premiums).
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Post by smokeynspike on Jan 15, 2018 22:01:35 GMT
Ugh...venting here. My employer requires us to participate in a wellness program every year or pay a huge increase in our health insurance premium. DH & I both must participate. It's not a lot, but OMG they change it every freaking year! New log in requirements, new info to fill out, you get the idea. It's a pain the ass and I guarantee it doesn't save our company a penny. Dh's company of 300 people tried this for one year. It was a joke and the employee backlash/revolt was so great that the next year it was eliminated.
Melissa
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Post by originalvanillabean on Jan 15, 2018 22:23:54 GMT
Yep! We just got the email today about the "new" wellness program, administered by a "new" company. New logins, etc.....
I'm with ya!
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Post by annabella on Jan 16, 2018 1:10:57 GMT
Can someone explain what is the wellness program the OP is talking about?
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Post by freecharlie on Jan 16, 2018 1:23:08 GMT
For DH's work (where we all have our insurance through), it is all voluntary. For instance, if you have a fitbit and share the results and have x number of 10,000 step days, then you get $25 for each month. If you want to be on Jenny Craig (or something like that) they will pay part of if.
DH has to do the biometric screening to get the discount ($25 or $50 per month) but they don't base your insurance rates on the results. Spouses can do the screenings if they want. I do because they also do the bloodwork, although since my deductible has already been met for the year, I suppose that part doesn't matter too much.
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Post by jamielynn on Jan 16, 2018 1:30:34 GMT
DH's company did away with their wellness benefits for 2017 but brought back a modified version for 2018. The kicker, if you ALREADY belong to a health club then you don't qualify for the benefit!!! Mine pretty much has this too. Sorry you are already living a healthy lifestyle, you are out the small fortune we put on your HSA card. This only benefits the people who are unhealthy, ect.. Geez, thanks. I seriously want to call HR once weekly all of 2018 to complain. I should do an outlook reminder for 9:15am every Monday! |
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Post by sunraynnc on Jan 16, 2018 1:36:36 GMT
Ugh...venting here. My employer requires us to participate in a wellness program every year or pay a huge increase in our health insurance premium. DH & I both must participate. It's not a lot, but OMG they change it every freaking year! New log in requirements, new info to fill out, you get the idea. It's a pain the ass and I guarantee it doesn't save our company a penny. I'd be HAPPY to fill out anything (and wear a pedometer) to get health insurance. DH is self employed and we are paying $1,750 a month for "coverage." |
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pudgygroundhog
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,643
Location: The Grand Canyon
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Post by pudgygroundhog on Jan 16, 2018 2:58:24 GMT
The worst was the employer who had mandatory use of pedometers. Plus they mandated a certain number of steps per day or you would get an increase in premiums It was especially ridiculous because we were a 100% desk job organization and if you were to be away from your desk for any length of time (to say, walk to get in the required number of steps), you would be reprimanded. So people realized they could put it in their shoe and just jiggle their foot all day to get the number of required steps. I refused and told them I would get an employment lawyer if they persisted. They made like Elsa and let it go. Same employer as part of their wellness program mandated annual wellness physicals with certain doctors. The wellness physical was paid for. BUT if the doctor found anything wrong with you during the wellness physical, then they would not pay for it. And of course, these doctors charged WAY more than your regular doctor. So you had to go in and either refuse to answer any question that might lead to a "diagnosis" or "concern" or you had to lie. And the "anything wrong" could be as simple as telling you that you were due for a colonoscopy or mammogram. Yeah, great wellness program there. (Oh, and this was a faith-based organization for the win.) Wow - that is extreme. |
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pudgygroundhog
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,643
Location: The Grand Canyon
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Post by pudgygroundhog on Jan 16, 2018 2:59:19 GMT
MY DH's employer does this as well, only they promote is as 'savings' if you participate vs raising your premiums. In the first few years they made it mandatory for both spouses to do the surveys, get a physical and have a phone consult with a health coach. I guess they got a lot of pushback because the past 2 years they walked it back to mandatory for the employee to do all of the above while the spouse only had to take the survey. It felt really invasive for an employee to delve into every little detail about you. When I said I had a glass of wine with dinner a couple of nights a week, they suggested I may have a dependency. That's called "self care" during a Trump administration. ;-) |
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pudgygroundhog
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,643
Location: The Grand Canyon
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Post by pudgygroundhog on Jan 16, 2018 3:03:06 GMT
Can someone explain what is the wellness program the OP is talking about? It varies by company, but typically it's some kind of incentive a company will use to save money or focus on preventative care for employees. I have a Silver HSA plan and my company contributes $250 to my HSA and I can earn another $750, which I plan to do. The main thing is taking a survey at the beginning of the year that assesses general health and risk factors and having dr fill out form at yearly physical (basic numbers) or going to the onsite clinic. I link my FitBit and I earn money for tracking steps and there are these things called "journeys" with activities to complete (on the honor system). Lots of things to choose from - eating better, exercising, reducing stress, financial, sleeping better, etc. I feel like I'm jumping through hoops, but for an extra $750 that goes in a HSA (i.e. I keep forever), I will do it. |
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Apr 26, 2024 17:18:57 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 16, 2018 3:13:23 GMT
The worst was the employer who had mandatory use of pedometers. Plus they mandated a certain number of steps per day or you would get an increase in premiums It was especially ridiculous because we were a 100% desk job organization and if you were to be away from your desk for any length of time (to say, walk to get in the required number of steps), you would be reprimanded. So people realized they could put it in their shoe and just jiggle their foot all day to get the number of required steps. I refused and told them I would get an employment lawyer if they persisted. They made like Elsa and let it go. Same employer as part of their wellness program mandated annual wellness physicals with certain doctors. The wellness physical was paid for. BUT if the doctor found anything wrong with you during the wellness physical, then they would not pay for it. And of course, these doctors charged WAY more than your regular doctor. So you had to go in and either refuse to answer any question that might lead to a "diagnosis" or "concern" or you had to lie. And the "anything wrong" could be as simple as telling you that you were due for a colonoscopy or mammogram. Yeah, great wellness program there. (Oh, and this was a faith-based organization for the win.) The putting the pedometer on their shoe & jiggling their foot all day to achieve their steps made me Lol! So sorry y’all are dealing with crazy rules.. |
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Post by artisticscrapper on Jan 16, 2018 4:29:53 GMT
My company had this for several years and it was ridiculous. You had to participate in order to save money but if you had too many thing wrong (smoker, obese, high blood pressure and some others) you couldn’t get the discount. The wellness company actually came into the break room and took bloodwork. I hated it but didn’t have a problem passing. It was still irritating that spouses and kids automatically qualified no matter what. The company finally got rid of it. I’m guessing it was too expensive.
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Post by pattyraindrops on Jan 16, 2018 4:41:21 GMT
I really like wellness programs, but they have to be good programs.
My DH is 6'6". The wellness program that said he needed to be under 175 pounds to be healthy - not good.
We had to report fruits and veggies per day on one. I reported 0-1 fruits per day and got points off. I'm a type 1 diabetic (and that was reported). The program was set up so you were supposed to get 5-7 veggies AND 5-7 fruits for the full points. 5-7 fruits per day would NOT be good for me.
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Jili
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SLPea
Posts: 4,363
Jun 26, 2014 1:26:48 GMT
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Post by Jili on Jan 16, 2018 5:04:42 GMT
Ugh...venting here. My employer requires us to participate in a wellness program every year or pay a huge increase in our health insurance premium. DH & I both must participate. It's not a lot, but OMG they change it every freaking year! New log in requirements, new info to fill out, you get the idea. It's a pain the ass and I guarantee it doesn't save our company a penny. Dh's company of 300 people tried this for one year. It was a joke and the employee backlash/revolt was so great that the next year it was eliminated.
Melissa
We had a Wellness program in our contract for about 3 years. It was voluntary, and we could earn back a small portion of our premiums if we complied. It was hardly worth it. The documentation was a pain in the rear, and we had to wait months for our reimbursment. It was a huge PITA in terms of documentation and tracking, and I also doubt that it saved our organization a single penny. Luckily, our BOE agreed to eliminate it from our contract the last time we negotiated. |
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Post by mikklynn on Jan 16, 2018 13:15:42 GMT
Can someone explain what is the wellness program the OP is talking about? It is a voluntary program that saves me $300/month on my insurance premium. I get a biometric screening - BP, blood sugar, cholesterol, height, weight, and measurement of my waist. I also have to fill out a health survey that asks about diet, exercise, drugs, alcohol use, and tobacco. In the past, we had to take online classes and/or participate in physical activities to earn a set number of points each year. Your employer does NOT see individual results or answers, as the program is administered by a third party. They get overall results, such as what % are smokers, overweight, have high cholesterol, etc. |
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mallie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,253
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Post by mallie on Jan 16, 2018 14:03:11 GMT
My company had this for several years and it was ridiculous. You had to participate in order to save money but if you had too many thing wrong (smoker, obese, high blood pressure and some others) you couldn’t get the discount. The wellness company actually came into the break room and took bloodwork. I hated it but didn’t have a problem passing. It was still irritating that spouses and kids automatically qualified no matter what. The company finally got rid of it. I’m guessing it was too expensive. Our wellness program had a bloodwork day. My results came back and according to them, I had seriously bad diabetes. So I failed. Since diabetes runs in my family, I went to my doctor the next day for fasting blood work.. I had new test and everything was fine. She had me come in the next day to do it again and it was still fine. So I had to pay for two doctor's office visits and two sets of bloodwork. Out of pocket expenses were $150. Then began the nightmare of proving that I didn't actually fail their stupid bloodwork test. I bitched and moaned about it to everyone. At which point, we discovered that HALF of the people had failed. Which is statistically improbable at best. We never got an explanation, but were told to "disregard" the results. We also did not get reimbursed for our OOP expenses. So yeah, I HATE these programs. Best part? I did not NEED or USE this insurance. I had super insurance through my husband, but my employer forced everyone to pay for their insurance and participate in these programs. It was one of the main reasons I left the organization -- I was losing 25% of my income to pay for insurance I didn't want or use. (A few years later, I did get a check in the mail paying me back for a portion of my last year of involuntary insurance payments. I don't know what happened -- the letter explaining it was quite vague.) |
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Post by mikklynn on Jan 16, 2018 14:40:19 GMT
mallie That's crazy. I've never heard of that. It sounds like they wanted you to cover part of their cost.
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Post by mayceesgranny on Jan 16, 2018 15:40:44 GMT
I can answer from both sides...I have created wellness programs for my employer and I have also participated in wellness programs. Our programs at work have paid out a generous amount of money. In 2017 we paid out $1000 to each employee and $500 to each spouse who completed the program. We've been doing this for 10 years and we do change the program up each year. I will agree the program was a PIA because people needed to pay attention, fill out forms, have an annual biometric screening and participate in one team event with co-workers. But it also was designed to educate and bring awareness to health issues. If a person was reasonably healthy and active it was very easy for them to earn the bonus. I could tell you stories about the many ways people tried to cheat to get their bonus!
As for the cost of health insurance, Years ago the insurance agency pushed companies to have wellness programs, stating that rates could be reduced over the years as more people were educated and became healthy. They said we would see a definite ROI.
Of course insurance rates never went down, but they constantly assure us that the fact we have a wellness program does affect our renewal rate. There are many rating factors insurance companies use when underwriting and determining rates. They tell us our rates would be even higher if we didn't have a wellness program.
I'm sorry that so many of you have bad experiences with wellness programs - I know many of our employees won't bother with them either because they find it to be invasive and too much trouble. I think when a program is managed well you can make a difference and educate people and maybe even change some bad habits. and as an employee I'm grateful for the opportunity to get a chance to earn back some of the money I have to pay for health insurance.
Our company also had a third party administer the biometrics - we didn't see any results.
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