Credit: Original article published here.

A saying made famous by actor Leonard Nimoy in his portrayal of Mr. Spock in the Star Trek movies and TV series.  Unfortunately, all too often we experience (or we watch our loved one’s experience) serious illnesses that can undermine the “Live Long and Prosper” goal.  Even more unfortunate, many of these illnesses are due to poor lifestyle choices; Leonard Nimoy died in 2015 of COPD, a condition attributed to his 37 years as a cigarette smoker.

In addition to the “human toll” and accompanying heartache that serious illnesses impose on people, they also exact a hefty financial toll.  Like most companies who sponsor health insurance for their employees, Wells Concrete saw that around 80% of its health insurance costs were attributed to less than 20% of the people covered by the company’s health insurance plans.  Many of the serious illnesses afflicting the 20% were things like cancer, heart attacks, diabetes and musculo-skeletal problems requiring back surgeries and joint replacements (shoulders, knees and hips).  Also, the primary causes of many of these serious illnesses were lifestyle choices; nicotine usage, obesity, poor diet, lack of exercise, etc.

In 2018 Wells Concrete and its employees took some bold steps to address these trends.  The company contracted with a third party to visit its worksites and measure, through a venipuncture blood draw (and lab analyses of the blood draws) and other tests, five key health markers:

• Weight / Body Mass Index
• Blood Pressure
• Glucose
• Nicotine usage, and
• Cholesterol

Wells covered the costs of the third party and extended the services to employees and spouses on the Company’s health plans.  The third party also provided coaching sessions tailored to an individual’s results (for example, if high cholesterol was a problem the coach pointed out ways to lower it).  If eligible employees (and spouses) participated in the venipuncture, attended all the coaching sessions and were deemed by the third party to make a genuine effort to follow the coach’s advice, they were eligible for a discount on their healthcare premiums in 2019.

For 2019, around 190 eligible employees and spouses who fully participated in 2018 received up to a $17.41 per week discount on their healthcare premiums.  We also offered the venipuncture and coaching again in 2019 and anticipate offering the same discount in 2020 for employees and spouses who participated in 2019.

From the Company’s perspective there has been a very positive two-year trend in terms of the number of “serious illness” medical claims and the total costs associated with them; so not only are employees and spouses benefiting financially but the Company is as well.

But more important than financial outcomes, the personal rewards from good health are truly “prosperous.”

Mark Del Vecchio
VP of HR, Safety, & Health