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Company "Wellness Programs"
Our company is about to implement a "Wellness Program," and at the same time implement a "token" increase in health care costs to the employee, with the "carrot" that if you enroll in the Wellness Program that increased health care cost will be credited back to you (we're talking less than $50 a month). My understanding (haven't got the official info yet) is that if you enter the program you'll be asked to fill out a fairly lengthy questionnaire which may/may not be joined with your blood work (if you contributed it to an annual Health Fair) to figure out whether you are High/Moderate/or Low Risk. If you are mod or high you will be handed a Wellness Plan, with stated goals that you should try to achieve (ie, if weight is an issue, it might have a "goal" of eating 5 servings of veggies a day - that's straight off the company's website that will be overseeing the program). I understand you have the OPTION after enrolling and being ranked to tell them to go take a hike - I'm doing fine, thank you, 'preciate your advice but GO AWAY. Course it's also my understanding that they also rank your "willingness to change" and I'm assuming that would plunge you to the bottom of THAT ranking.
Anyway, I'm wondering if ya'll have had experience with this kind of thing and what your Humble Opinion's are of it? I understand completely the company perspective that it should, in theory at least, decrease their health care costs over time, and I've actually looked into it quite a bit and I DO find evidence of that when the programs are instituted at organizations. I'm all for that part. But I have some REALLY serious PRIVACY concerns, for which I am being boo-hoo'd by some as "paranoid." But this smacks of Orwellian nastiness to me. I don't care how many times someone tells me it WON'T happen, prove to me that down the road you're either A) NOT going to make promotion considerations based on people's "ranking" or B) NOT going to later implement a staggered health care costs, whereby Joe who is LOW risk pays less than Tom who is HIGH risk.
Jump in folks - anxious to hear your thoughts. Am I the ONLY ONE OUT THERE WHO READ ORWELL?!?!?!
Our company is about to implement a "Wellness Program," and at the same time implement a "token" increase in health care costs to the employee, with the "carrot" that if you enroll in the Wellness Program that increased health care cost will be credited back to you (we're talking less than $50 a month). My understanding (haven't got the official info yet) is that if you enter the program you'll be asked to fill out a fairly lengthy questionnaire which may/may not be joined with your blood work (if you contributed it to an annual Health Fair) to figure out whether you are High/Moderate/or Low Risk. If you are mod or high you will be handed a Wellness Plan, with stated goals that you should try to achieve (ie, if weight is an issue, it might have a "goal" of eating 5 servings of veggies a day - that's straight off the company's website that will be overseeing the program). I understand you have the OPTION after enrolling and being ranked to tell them to go take a hike - I'm doing fine, thank you, 'preciate your advice but GO AWAY. Course it's also my understanding that they also rank your "willingness to change" and I'm assuming that would plunge you to the bottom of THAT ranking.
Anyway, I'm wondering if ya'll have had experience with this kind of thing and what your Humble Opinion's are of it? I understand completely the company perspective that it should, in theory at least, decrease their health care costs over time, and I've actually looked into it quite a bit and I DO find evidence of that when the programs are instituted at organizations. I'm all for that part. But I have some REALLY serious PRIVACY concerns, for which I am being boo-hoo'd by some as "paranoid." But this smacks of Orwellian nastiness to me. I don't care how many times someone tells me it WON'T happen, prove to me that down the road you're either A) NOT going to make promotion considerations based on people's "ranking" or B) NOT going to later implement a staggered health care costs, whereby Joe who is LOW risk pays less than Tom who is HIGH risk.
Jump in folks - anxious to hear your thoughts. Am I the ONLY ONE OUT THERE WHO READ ORWELL?!?!?!
