Blue Shield wellness program Case study
Blue Shield wellness program Case study A healthy and productive workforce When it comes to building a culture of wellness, we at Blue Shield of California consider ourselves to be a model of success. In 2008, we launched an innovative wellness program for employees and we re still reaping the rewards today. That means in addition to the services we offer you, we can provide you the benefits of our own experience. As a leading advocate for healthcare affordability, we know that improving well-being is key to better health and lower healthcare costs. And like you, we are not immune to rising healthcare costs. To take control of our healthcare spending, we knew we had to practice what we preach. So, we implemented a comprehensive worksite wellness program for our employees called Wellvolution built on a platform that includes employee Wellness Assessments and research. starts with us We designed Wellvolution to deliver: Improved employee health Highly productive and wellness-conscious workforce Reduced costs related to an unhealthy population Innovative wellness solutions to be shared with other Californians The Wellvolution model differentiates itself by incorporating: A culture of health including a tobacco-free workplace, healthy cafeterias and vending machines, onsite fitness centers, and walking workstations Leading-edge change models, including behavioral-economics principles, social media tools, and effective incentive designs Engaging communications and leadership support We increase participation and improve outcomes with meaningful incentives Our employees earn a significant discount on their Blue Shield health plan premium by completing a Wellness Assessment, undergoing a biometric screening, and meeting selected health goals or completing a targeted wellness program. Wellvolution health goals include: healthy weight, being smoke-free, and having healthy blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, and glucose levels. Additionally, our employees can earn a health day off by scheduling an annual preventive visit with their physician in addition to completing a Wellness Assessment and a biometric screening. 1 blueshieldca.com
I no longer have to take the blood pressure medicine and I m in the best shape of my life. near-term Blue Shield member Bending the trend Since the Wellvolution launch in 2008, we collected and examined data to assess the effectiveness of our wellness program. Here s what we found: * Market-leading engagement rates In 2008, prior to the launch of Wellvolution, only 1 in 5 Blue Shield employees were participating in wellness activities. Today, 4 out of 5 employees are actively engaged in wellness. Benchmarking against other U.S. employers indicates that Blue Shield s engagement rates are consistently in the 90th percentile. On an annual basis, Blue Shield employees save $3.0 million on their health insurance premiums and gain approximately 2,500 health days off as a result of their commitment to wellness. Demonstrated improvement in health status 26% improvement in health status as employees transition from at risk to healthy. Documented improvement in healthy lifestyles 48% decrease in smoking prevalence; double the state of California trend. 32% increase in regular physical activity; 48% decrease in totally inactive employees. 15% decline in prevalence of employees reporting high stress. Significant reductions in hypertension prevalence; from roughly 1 in 3 employees to only 1 in 10. Statistically significant reductions in LDL (bad) cholesterol. Encouraging productivity and improving medical cost trends Within two years, disability costs fell 18% among Wellvolution participants but increased 57% among those not engaging in our wellness program. On a percentage basis, non-participant medical claims are increasing at a rate 1.5 times that of Wellvolution participants. In eight short weeks, employees walked over 400 million steps, equivalent to 200,000 miles or 8 times around the globe! * Wellvolution Fact Sheet. 2
Why it matters According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 75 percent of employers healthcare costs and productivity losses are related to employee lifestyle choices. Studies* also show that medical costs fall about $3.27 for every dollar spent on wellness programs, and absentee day costs fall by $2.73 for every dollar spent. This return on investment suggests that adoption of wellness programs could benefit the company s bottom line and productivity, as well as employee health outcomes. Blue Shield s worksite wellness program: improving healthy behaviors Improving choice 2008 2011 20.6% 65% 15% 58% 57% 43% 7% 12% 9.5% 6% High stress Regular exercise No exercise Fruits & vegetables Cigarette use Improvement across all health behaviors 32% increase in regular exercise; 48% drop in sedentary employees Our 2011 results show: Positive trends across all healthy behaviors Positive near-term cost impact of marked smoking improvement mitigated by low baseline rates Improvement in health risk scores Participation in wellness Steady to sharp increase of employee participation in Wellness Assessments, biometrics screenings, and health goals/programs * Workplace Wellness Programs can Generate Savings, Harvard University s website: www.nrs.harvd.edu/urn-3:hul.instrepos:534589, 2010. 3
I find myself really motivated to walking daily, eating healthy foods, and staying on the path to better, happier days. The program is a plus in my daily lifestyle. Blue Shield member Building success with wellness for your company Many of the programs included in Wellvolution are the programs that we offer you and your employees. For more information on building a culture of wellness for your group and to achieve the level of success we ve had, please contact your broker or Blue Shield representative. 4
An independent member of the Blue Shield Association A44130 (5/12)