Target is paying employees to have annual exams
Paul in Cannon Beach
4,703 Posts
Target is trying a new pilot program where employees are paid to have annual exams and follow a personalized health regime. Of course, their goal is to lower health costs by encouraging their employees to take care of themselves. It sounds innovative and pro-active.
Interestingly, only 59 percent of eligible employees completed the three initial stages necessary to participate in the program. Of those, only 38 percent remain "engaged" in the program. If my math is right, that means only 22 percent of eligible employees are actually following through on the program and utilizing its benefits. Thats less than 1 in 4.
My other concern is what will happen when Target fires an employee who happened to be one of the poor performers on their health program. Will the employee make a connection between their termination and Target's aggressive approach to managing health care.
Link is here for more info: [url]http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE54E3T120090515[/url]
Interestingly, only 59 percent of eligible employees completed the three initial stages necessary to participate in the program. Of those, only 38 percent remain "engaged" in the program. If my math is right, that means only 22 percent of eligible employees are actually following through on the program and utilizing its benefits. Thats less than 1 in 4.
My other concern is what will happen when Target fires an employee who happened to be one of the poor performers on their health program. Will the employee make a connection between their termination and Target's aggressive approach to managing health care.
Link is here for more info: [url]http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE54E3T120090515[/url]
Comments
BTW, have I mentioned that I love to go to lunch to Sonic?
Sonic onion rings rule. I know where I'm going for lunch now!
I just found it interesting that even by paying people to do what they should do that less than 25 percent of the people actually followed through. To me it just goes to show that the health care crisis is very complex.
Target's plan may not work, but I am all for anything that helps change people's ideas and motivations towards health. Target: =D>
SharonO:)
We just earlier today, signed a letter of agreement with one union to expand the program for the coming plan year. Now employees will need to confirm that they had their blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose checked within the past six months. We have contracted with our local hospital to set up clinics on site for employees who don't want to go to their own physician. Our medical insurance provider has agreed to pay 50% of the cost; and we will split the other 50% with the union. I am still waiting to hear from the other union. I will be surprised if we have the same 41% participation rate.
We know this is an effort that we can't be sure will lead to lower claims. How do you measure heart attacks that didn't happen? And, actually, it may lead to higher claims in the short-term as employees seek treatment for high blood pressure, etc. However, we hope in the long-term we will see a healthy work force and lower claims.
Nae, I guess what I am saying is that Target may be spending alot of money without much of an ROI. 22 percent sounds close to the percentage of people who ALREADY take care of themselves and follow a health regime.
I'm all for rewarding good behavior and I also applaud Target (and David S) for their pro-active approach but I am unconvinced that this is the solution only because (like Nae said) I dont think the rewards are significant enough to overcome human nature (yet).
Everything is a choice. Don't eat crap, smoke, not exercise, drink heavily, etc. and expect your insurance and/or the government to pay for it! You made a conscious choice to do (or not do) these things. I should not be expected to foot the bill for your poor choices. The fact that Target had such low participation doesn't surprise me at all. The majority of Americans don't WANT to do the things necessary to become healthy; they want a quick fix pill that leads to another pill and another. I think that smokers and obese people not trying to improve their lives should pay more for their insurance.
I'm not sure how to steer the U.S. toward a healthy lifestyle. They keep showing all these reports of Mediterranean people who live long, health lives and tell us to take notes from them, but no part of the American lifestlye is condusive to theirs. We need to make healthy choices affordable and accessible. There's something really wrong when you can get a large fry for less than a piece of fruit.
In case you couldn't tell, I am quite passionate about this issue
Most folks can handle deadlines, and production quotas, etc. but have a hard time coping with supervisors who yell at subordinates; coworkers who spend more time sucking up to the boss than working; and, my pet peeve, workplace bullies who prey on anyone they perceive as weaker.
Being in HR, we’ve all seen these things happening and often had very little control over correcting the situation, which highlights another stress inducer – an individual’s lack of control over what happens to him/herself, along with lack of consideration, respect, and empowerment.
Most employees need less of the “you will do as I say as long as you work for me” bosses (sounds like my dad - way back when - who just couldn’t understand why I joined the hippie revolution) and more of the “we need to complete a, b, and c – let’s figure out how to get them all done so we can move on to d and e” bosses.
What would you call a workplace where the employees are empowered to do their work along general guidelines rather than adhering to rigid requirements that make no sense to anyone except the boss?
What would you call a workplace where employees give and receive respect and consideration to and from management and their coworkers?
What do you call a workplace where employees can make decisions about their work without fear of being punished for making a mistake?
I’d call them healthy workplaces.
Maybe, the best way to reduce insurance cost is not just to try and help employees be healthier but also to help management create workplaces that are more conducive to health and wellbeing for their employees, as well as for themselves.
Off the soapbox now!
Sharon **==
There are healthy ways to deal with stress, but most of them require more "work" than lighting up, pouring a drink, or opening a bag of Doritos. Exercise is an excellent stress reliever, not to mention a natural anti-depressant.
We need to give our employees (and our country for that matter) the tools to build a healthy life, and they should be affordable. I don't call an $80 monthly gym membership affordable!
- alcohol
- cigarettes
- snacks
- fast food
- Televisions
Would you be opposed to that? What if cigarettes cost $8 or $10 per pack? What if 10 percent of all snack food sales funded our new health plan?
This year I need to get a complete physical. I wonder if Target would pay me. I am a customer and dead customers don't spend money? Hey, maybe I am on to something...
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You ONLY had a 41% participation rate?! We did something similar through our health insurance company last year, and the participation rate was so low it didn't even register! I think four of us (out of over 100 covered employees) actually completed the health risk assessment and as far as I know, I'm the only one who's still doing the follow-up phone calls with a health coach, which is part of the overall plan. The insurance company is offering the company a small reduction in premium rates based on how many employees participate, but we haven't figured out yet what more we can do to encourage our employees to participate. I've found in the past that even offering the employees a monetary reward generally doesn't work; it seems nobody wants to be bothered.