Wellness program decreases claims by 22%
in three years
The client:
A food ingredient refinery and manufacturer, a subsidiary of a multinational corporation with two Midwestern locations (155 employees).
The concerns:
1) The company was part of a national plan that had been with three administrators in four years.
2) The network coverage was inadequate.
3) The company had a history of making reactive rather than proactive benefit decisions and had no long-term plan.
Strategies and solutions:
Benefit Associates created stability in the platform by performing a full plan analysis and determining a long-term strategy to increase the health of the benefit plan and mitigate risk. A contract with a high-quality administrator offered network access solutions and outstanding customer service.
Benefit Associates launched initiatives to educate employees and increase awareness of how lifestyle choices can affect healthcare costs, including wellness programs such as on-side health screenings and disease management programs.
The implementation of an electronic low-maintenance process gave employees better access to benefits and educational information plus reduced internal administrative tasks.
Results:
For those participating in the wellness program for three years, claims per member per month have decreased 22 percent since implementing the program in August of 2003. In addition, medical claims, even after including newer employees, have risen just 6 percent per year versus a standard trend of 14 percent.
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