- Participating Colorado businesses able to earn premium discounts and other incentives for offering wellness programs to employees
- HealthSource Colorado takes advantage of a new state law that encourages small to mid-sized companies to offer wellness programs
DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- UnitedHealthcare and Mountain States Employers Council are launching an innovative health plan that includes a suite of wellness programs designed to help Colorado’s small to mid-sized employers better control health care costs and promote healthy habits among employees.
The new HealthSource Colorado plan is among the first offerings in Colorado that enable small to mid-sized employers and their employees to earn financial incentives through a corporate wellness program. The introduction of the plan takes advantage of a new state law that allows insurance carriers to offer financial incentives to small businesses whose employees participate in wellness-related programs.
Employers enrolled in the HealthSource Colorado plan are able to earn annual premium discounts for offering wellness programs to their employees, while employees can earn incentives such as gift cards for completing an online health assessment, telephonic wellness coaching or other employee-engagement program.
HealthSource Colorado is now available to more than 2,700 companies in Colorado that belong to the Mountain States Employers Council. Employers with one to 300 employees are eligible to enroll.
“We know corporate wellness programs have helped large companies improve their employees’ health and productivity, and we think it is important for small and mid-sized businesses to offer the same support for healthy lifestyles to their employees,” said Beth Soberg, CEO, UnitedHealthcare of Colorado. “This groundbreaking plan will enable more businesses statewide to promote wellness and offer their employees incentives for healthy habits.”
Wellness programs are becoming increasingly popular among businesses across the United States as a way to help promote employee health and productivity, and to rein in rising health care costs. The Wellness Council of America estimates that a $1 investment in a corporate wellness program saves $3 in health care costs.
“Many employers are starting to take proactive steps to help control health care costs, and this innovative plan and the associated wellness solutions provide a mechanism for hundreds of Colorado employers to do just that,” said Michael Severns, president and CEO of Mountain States Employers Council. “We are very confident that employers will see premium reductions and improved employee health and engagement through the adoption of the plan and the wellness resources.”
“Providing ways to improve employee wellness, and people’s awareness of their health status, is an important component of bending the current health care cost curve,” said Bill Lindsay, president of Lockton’s Employee Benefit Group in Denver. “This plan from MSEC and UnitedHealthcare holds a great deal of promise.”
UnitedHealthcare of Colorado serves nearly 650,000 people statewide, offering access to a network of more than 8,300 physicians and 90 hospitals. Mountain States Employers Council is one of the largest employer associations in the country serving more than 3,500 employers in the mountain west.
About MSEC
Known as the professional, cost-effective resource of choice for employers, Mountain States Employers Council (www.msec.org) provides employers of all sizes and industries with the resources needed to build and maintain profitable organizations. For more than 70 years, MSEC has served the employment law and human resource needs of the business community, helping employers manage all phases of the employment life cycle. More than 3,500 MSEC employers in the Rocky Mountain region are served by a diverse staff of attorneys and human resource, training and survey professionals dedicated to the MSEC vision . . . effective, successful employers. For more information, call 303.839.5177.
MSEC has experts in the area of benefit services and administration. Heavily relied upon by the Colorado business community, MSEC’s verified compensation and benefit surveys capture in-depth industry data and trends. MSEC also provides training on a variety of employment and management related topics, hosting the Colorado Conference on Health and the MSEC Benefit Update conference, in addition to other popular benefit offerings.
About UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare (www.unitedhealthcare.com) provides a full spectrum of consumer-oriented health benefit plans and services to individuals, public sector employers and businesses of all sizes, including more than half of the Fortune 100 companies. The company organizes access to health care services on behalf of approximately 25 million individual consumers, contracting directly with more than 600,000 physicians and care professionals and 5,000 hospitals to offer them broad, convenient access to services nationwide. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company.
CONTACT:
UnitedHealthcare
Will Shanley, 714-204-8005
[email protected]
or
Mountain States Employers Council
Lorrie Ray, 303-839-5177
[email protected]
KEYWORDS: United States North America Colorado Minnesota
INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Practice Management Health Fitness & Nutrition Hospitals Small Business Professional Services Insurance General Health
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