Employees starting to pay for poor health

The National Workrights Institute says employers adopting the charges are trying to control private behavior and amassing huge amounts of personal health information.

“It’s a backdoor approach to weeding out expensive employees,” legal director Jeremy Gruber said.

Employers wary of risking legal problems feel more confident after federal regulations were finalized July 1 covering how wellness programs can comply with non-discrimination requirements under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Rewards (and therefore penalties) based on health factors cannot exceed 20 percent of the total cost of employee health coverage.

Employers also are warned that they must consider other federal and state laws, including the ADA.

Businesses acknowledge they are trying to cut health care costs but say they also want to help employees get healthier. Each company determines what qualifies as high risk, but they generally follow traditional health standards.

Cincinnati-based Western & Southern Financial Group adds between $15 and $75 monthly to the insurance cost of health plan participants according to their BMI scores. A fitness center, weight loss programs and health screenings are provided, and employees reducing their BMI receive refunds, said Noreen Hayes, senior vice president of human resources.

Fifteen percent of employees who paid surcharges in 2006 received refunds this year, and about 40 percent of employees in the company’s health plan pay the charges.

The surcharges help cover some of the costs the company incurs as a result of those employees’ conditions, Hayes said.

Roselyn Bryant, 61, of Cincinnati, doesn’t face any of the health risks but still is glad that the bank where she works in the mail department doesn’t charge for them.

“I think it’s too harsh to charge people for things they can’t always control” she said.

Helen Darling, president of the National Business Group on Health, representing more than 200 of the nation’s largest employers, thinks most employers prefer positive incentives.

“I think it’s a mistake to use penalties for something as complicated as maintaining weight in a society that does everything to make you inactive,” she said. “It can make people mad, and we are in a war for talent.”

Scott’s Miracle-Gro Co., a lawn and garden company based in Marysville, Ohio, charges $40 more per month in health premiums for employees who don’t complete annual risk assessments. The company charges $65 more for workers who don’t try to reduce any high health risks that show up.

“We think that personal accountability is a big part of driving overall wellness, but we also provide our associates with the tools they need,” spokesman Jim King said. “We think our program is a good balance of the carrot and the stick.”

King said participation rose from 70 percent to 95 percent after the charge was added.

Scott’s earlier stopped hiring tobacco users in states where that is allowed and reserves the right to fire employees who use tobacco.

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A Brookfield, Wis.-based financial information services and technology company uses rebates.

Fiserv Inc. offers a $35 monthly rebate to full-time employees in its health plan who complete health assessments and $25 rebates for spouses. Those at high risk for a chronic disease such as diabetes must participate in a disease management program to get the rebate, company spokeswoman Lori Stafford said.

Linda Cushman, health care strategist with the human resources consulting firm Hewitt Associates, said that whatever methods employers use, more employers are focusing on health risks such as obesity.

“Employers are paying the lion’s share of health care costs and feel that they have the right to call the shots,” Cushman said.

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