|
bill may
cut health insurance 10%
Incentives
available if customers enroll in wellness programs
by
john sChroyer
the gazette
ContaCt the writer: (303) 837-0697 or
john.schroyer@ gazette.com.
DENVER
•
Health insurance rates could go down by as much as 10 percent thanks to a
bipartisan effort at the state Capitol to boost enrollment in health
wellness and prevention programs.
Under House Bill 1012, sponsored by Reps. Amy Stephens, R-Monument, and
Joe Rice, D-Littleton, health insurance companies would be allowed to
offer discounts and other incentives if customers enroll in basic wellness
programs that help them lower their cholesterol, quit smoking and manage
stress. Those savings could add up to as much as 10 percent, said a
spokesman for the Colorado State Association of Health Underwriters.
Steve Dodder, a wellness adviser for CSAHU, said 10 percent in savings
would be a “reasonable” expectation, but that the actual amount would vary
by provider.
The only reason companies don’t offer such incentives already, Rice
said, is because they can’t: Insurance firms are legally prohibited from
basing their rates on enrollment in wellness and prevention programs.
“This is one of those common sense ideas that we’re wondering why we
didn’t do long ago,” Rice said.
A large part of the benefit won’t be only for individuals, Stephens
added. She was turned on to the bill after fielding dozens of complaints
from small-business owners in her district who all said they were watching
their premiums skyrocket. This is one way, she said, to help keep those
prices from getting too high.
“This bill, I think, is going to be a boon for small business,”
Stephens said during a committee hearing.
The parameters of the bill are largely undefined, however, and just
what constitutes a wellness plan is mostly left up to the providers to
determine. Still, Dodder said such programs have proven their worth.
“It’s definitely going to help reduce health care costs,” said Dodder.
He cited a study that found wellness and prevention steps help increase
productivity and morale while slashing the sick days
employees take.
According to the same study, performed by Inc. com, employers typically
save $1.65 for each dollar spent on wellness programs.
That doesn’t mean the bill is a magic bullet, said Tony
Gagliardi, the state director of the National
Federation of Independent Business. While he called the bill a good “first
step,” he warned that it could be a few years before any businesses or
individuals see a reduction in premiums.
“Are we going to see rates come down? Probably not. But we have to do
something to decrease the upwards pressure on businesses,”
Gagliardi said.
The bill gained unanimous support from the House Committee on Business
Affairs and Labor on Wednesday, and now heads to the full House for
consideration and possible amendments.
— |
