For those companies looking for a spark to start or boost its employee wellness program, we came across an article that recently appeared in HartfordBusiness.com that might be right up your alley.  It discusses the potentially positive implications on employee wellness programs.  Here are a few key excerpts from the article:

The new rules allow employers to increase the reward or penalty — typically in the form of discounted or higher insurance premiums — for workers who meet or fail to meet certain health standards like a normal cholesterol level or weight.

“This gives employers flexibility to design wellness program that align and reward employee behavior,” said Mike Thompson, a principal with accounting and consulting firm PwC.

That flexibility involves the use of ncentives, a key piece to any wellness program.  More from the article:

Specifically, the health reform law raises the maximum discount employers can offer workers who meet certain health standards from 20 percent to 30 percent of the total cost of insurance coverage. In some cases, like wellness programs aimed at reducing or preventing tobacco use, discounts can go as high as 50 percent.

As the article states, however, it’s also critical to take a long term approach when investing in these programs and not expect too much tangible ROI until around the 3-5 year mark, but that employers should start seeing improvements in other areas such as reduced absenteeism, presenteeism, and improved employee morale & office culture, etc.  To kick off these efforts or to boost your existing program engagement levels with a fun, interactive, team-based (and team-building) initiative, we at DE highly recommend one of our many wellness challenge options!

Go read the whole article today for more tips and info on how best to take advantage of the new rules under the ACA.