These are the documents related to our recent “road show” on Anthem Blue Cross and Wellness.  There is more up-to-date information on the current Blue Cross Bid posted under “Blue Cross Bid.”  Here is the PowerPoint Presentation on Anthem Blue Cross and their bid to replace HealthNet as our district’s non-Kaiser provider: Athem Power Point Comparison.

Here is a one-page comparison of HealthNet and Blue Cross plans.  Note that the details of the Blue Cross plan might still change, as these are subject to negotiation and we have not finalized their bid yet.  CCCCD HN vs. Anthem Benefit Plan Comparison EPO.

Here is a page with links to help you check to see if YOUR DOCTOR accepts Anthem Blue Cross.  Please note that if you call your doctor to ask, inquire about the PPO and HMO.  Our “EPO” plan will say “PPO” on the card and be accepted by any doctor who participates in Anthem’s PPO.  Guide for Searching for Doctors – Anthen Blue Cross.

Here is the Presentation on the Engagement Health Wellness Program (as a PDF): Engagement Health Presentation PDF.

Here is an American Heart Association study on strategies to affect behavior (and the relationship between behavior and health).  This is one of the studies that the District has posted on their website: AHA Study – Healthy Habits.

Here is another study from the District website:  this one on “results-based” wellness programs.  Note that the Engagement Health wellness program is NOT a results-based or outcomes-based program; it is a program based entirely on participation (checking in and reporting).  Results Based Wellness Incentives.

We’d like to thank District Benefits Expert Reed Rawlinson for the following batch of studies.  Reed has been researching wellness programs as part of his graduate work towards a Ph.D., and he has shared some of the studies he found most useful.  HarvardBusinessReview – Hard Return on Wellness.

Healthy Policies and Ethics – 5 group problems

BenefitsQuarterly-DeterminingtheValueofWellness

PubilcPersonnelManagement-Local Government Wellness  (This one is low-resolution; if you want a high-resolution version, just send Jeff an email at ufjeffmichels@gmail.com.)

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Here are few claims adapted from The Health Promotion First Act prepared by David Anderson, Ph.D., StayWell Health

“Employee Wellness Programs Improve Health and Yield Major Savings”

•    Comprehensive scientific reviews identified 378 peer-reviewed studies showing that Employee Wellness Programs improve health knowledge, health behaviors, and underlying health conditions.
•    Research has demonstrated that lifestyle modification may often be more effective and cost-effective than medical intervention in lowering morbidity and mortality.
•    Several scientific reviews indicate that Employee Wellness Programs reduce medical costs and rates of absenteeism and produce a positive return on investment (ROI).
•    18 studies indicated that these Employee Wellness Programs reduce medical costs, and 14 studies indicated that they lower rates of absenteeism costs.
•    13 studies that calculated benefit/cost ratios all showed the savings from these Employee Wellness Programs are much greater than their cost, with medical cost savings averaging $3.48 and the rates of absenteeism savings averaging $5.82 per dollar invested in the Employee Wellness Programs.
•    Medical costs are expected to exceed 16 percent of United States gross domestic product (GDP) in 2005 and to grow at 7.2 percent annually through 2015, when medical expenditures will account for 20 percent of GDP:
•    Increasing medical costs for United States businesses continue to outpace general inflation, averaging 12 percent per year for the past 10 years.  This trend is causing a tremendous financial hardship on United States businesses.

Here are some other articles and published studies:

“Workplace Wellness Programs Can Generate Savings”  (Scholarly Research by Harvard Faculty).  The PDF of this study is here: Workplace Wellness Programs.

“Study Finds Wellness Programs Save Money.”  Barbara Mannino, FOXBusiness.  http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2011/03/02/study-finds-wellness-programs-save-money/

“What’s the Hard Return on Employee Wellness Programs?”  Harvard Business Review.  http://hbr.org/2010/12/whats-the-hard-return-on-employee-wellness-programs/ar/1

“Wellness Programs Benefit Employees and Companies.”  National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA).  http://www.nasba.org/features/wellness-programs-benefit-employees-and-companies/

Here is an article from the New England Journal of Medicine noting some of the problems with wellness programs: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1105966

This short article discusses the Downside of Insurance-Company Sponsored Wellness Programs:

http://wellnessproposals.com/wellness-articles/potential-downside-to-insurance-company-wellness-programs/

“Organizational Wellness Programs: A Meta-Analysis.”  Kizzy M. Parks and Lisa A. Steelman Florida Institute of Technology

This is mostly a study of the relationship between wellness programs and job satisfaction.  The PDF is here: Wellness Research.

 

Here is an article from the New England Journal of Medicine noting some of the problems with wellness programs: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1105966.