State Government Wellness Plan Exceeds Sign-Up Goal in First Year

Press Release

State Government Wellness Plan Exceeds Sign-Up Goal in First Year

26 percent of employees enroll in State of Nebraska wellness plan

Gov. Dave Heineman today provided an update on enrollment in a new wellness plan being offered as part of the state employee benefits package. Twenty-six percent of state workers enrolled in the plan. Nebraska is believed to be the first state offering state workers a comprehensive plan for health insurance designed to encourage wellness and healthy lifestyles.

"We set an aggressive goal in this first year and we exceeded it," Gov. Heineman said. "The response from state employees has been outstanding. This is a partnership. I want to thank everyone who signed up. We want to create a culture of wellness in our workforce and we're off to a good start. More employees leading a healthier lifestyle will increase productivity, which is good for employees, good for state government and for those we serve."

The goal for worker participation was 20 percent enrollment. An approximation of initial enrollment for new wellness plans is less than 10 percent in the first year.

The new plan pairs a comprehensive medical insurance plan covering yearly checkups and many preventative screenings with WellnessOptions, the state's workplace wellness program managed by HealthFitness Corp. A total of 3,594 workers initially enrolled in the Wellness PPO plan.

This year, the only requirement for employees choosing the Wellness PPO plan is to complete a health assessment. Those who choose another health insurance plan have the option of taking part in WellnessOptions. To date, an additional 681 employees selecting a different insurance plan have completed the health assessment.

Based on individual responses to the health assessment, HealthFitness recommends coaching programs where participants work one-on-one with a coach to improve general wellness, lower health risk factors or better manage existing chronic conditions. Completing a coaching program is one of the available options to qualify for enrollment in the Wellness PPO in the next plan year. So far, 1,782 employees have enrolled in one of 20 available focus areas.

Carlos Castillo, Director of the Nebraska Department of Administrative Services, said, "We're pleased with the initial response and feedback we've received from employees. We hope to build on this so that over time, our state workforce will be healthier and we can begin to slow the increase in health insurance costs for employees and the state."

Health assessment responses and information shared as part of a health coaching program is kept strictly between individuals and HealthFitness representatives. Only aggregate information is reported to the state to gauge the success of WellnessOptions and help the state develop priorities for improving workplace wellness.

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