Frequently asked questions about the Healthy Incentives^SM program

A wellness assessment is a private and confidential health survey administered by two third-party vendors for King County – Healthways and HealthMedia. The wellness assessment asks you questions about your health and lifestyle habits.

Your wellness assessment summary serves as a reference for healthy lifestyle choices you can make. It is also your proof that you completed the wellness assessment. You may also want to share some of the information from your summary with your health care provider during your next visit.

No, he/she does not have to take the wellness assessment – in fact, no one does. However, if you change your mind and end up covering your spouse/domestic partner next year and he/she has not taken the wellness assessment this year, you will both receive the bronze out-of-pocket expense level for your medical benefits next year.

If you use the same user ID and password in 2009 that you used previously, Healthways will be able to review your history. However, if you create a new login, they will only have access to your data from the current year.

Your answers to the wellness assessment cannot be changed after you submit it. If you make a mistake in answering a question, you can call Health Media at 1-866-433-9284 to provide the correct answer.

If you have difficulty accessing the wellness assessment Web site, you need to contact Health Media at 1-866-433-9284 for assistance.

The question about firearms was included in the injury prevention section of the assessment along with questions about seat belts, drinking and driving, and driving the speed limit because firearms are second only to motor vehicles as the leading cause of death from injury in King County and the U.S.

If you are uncomfortable with answering the question, you can choose not to answer it and your overall risk assessment will not be affected.

If you get a survey from either Healthways or HealthMedia, you do not have to respond to it to earn your gold out-of-pocket expense level. The survey is simply a follow-up to your involvement in the Healthy Incentives^SM program.

Research shows that many of the most common health conditions in the United States are directly affected by our everyday health habits. Therefore, most of the wellness assessment questions ask about your nutrition, physical activity, stress management, alcohol and tobacco use, safety habits (such as whether you wear your seat belt when you are in an automobile) and health habits (such as whether you receive age- and gender-appropriate screenings).

The conditions most directly affected by health habits are cholesterol level, blood pressure, blood sugar level, weight and overall sense of well-being. If these health conditions are not controlled, they can lead directly to diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, asthma, emphysema and other lung diseases.

You are considered to have a high health risk profile if you self-report three of the following: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, physical activity less than three times per week, poor nutrition, high stress/poor well-being, high alcohol use or a body mass index of 26-33. If you have a high health risk profile, you have 12 months of health coaching available to you at no charge.

You have a moderate health risk profile if you self-report any two of the following: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, physical activity less than three times per week, poor nutrition, high stress/poor well-being, high alcohol use or a body mass index of 26-33. If you have a moderate health risk profile, you have six months of health coaching available to you at no charge.

You have a low health risk profile if you do not meet the criteria listed above.

The score on the wellness assessment summary report is an “overall lifestyle” score. The specific score you receive does not automatically translate into a low, moderate or high health risk profile. It reflects behaviors that influence your risk of death and disease. The wellness assessment determines how you match up to recommendations for each behavior. It also reflects how much you have reported you want to change and how confident you are that you can make certain behavior changes. Finally, the wellness assessment sets priorities for four behaviors you may be most successful in improving. Therefore, your overall score reflects a combination of both risk factors and your readiness to make lifestyle changes.

In contrast, as noted in the questions about health risk profiles, Healthways focuses on very specific diseases, chronic conditions and habits that are known to be major causes of disability and premature death. The number and type of risk factors you have determine your risk profile.

Completing the wellness assessment can provide you with valuable information about your risk for developing health problems in the future as well as helpful recommendations for maintaining or improving your health. By taking the wellness assessment you earn the silver (or middle) out of pocket expense level and it is the first step to earning the gold (or lowest) out of pocket expense level. Even if you don’t anticipate using health care services in the coming year, enrolling in the Healthy Incentives^SM Program by taking the wellness assessment can save you a lot of money should you have an injury or some other kind of unanticipated health event.

If you took the wellness assessment online in January, you should have received your first phone call or a letter within four weeks (six weeks if you took the wellness assessment on paper) from Healthways to enroll you in your individual action plan. You receive a phone call if you have a moderate or high health risk profile. You receive a letter if you have a low health risk profile.

If four weeks have passed from the time you took the wellness assessment online (six weeks if you took it on paper) and you haven't received a call or a letter, please give Healthways a call at 1-877-279-0624 toll-free as soon as possible.

Your wellness assessment summary is the report you receive after you take the wellness assessment. It describes your health risks and lists some healthy actions you can take to maintain or improve your health.

Your individual action plan is the follow-up action you take to earn the gold out-of-pocket expense level. After you take the wellness assessment, Healthways determines your health risk profile, then contacts you by phone or mail to explain your individual action plan options and enroll you in your individual action plan.

If the coach is still available, you will be able to work with the same health coach in 2009 you worked with previously.

The health coaches from Healthways have a wide variety of backgrounds – there are nurses, health educators, dieticians, exercise physiologists and tobacco cessation specialists. In addition, they have extensive training in behavior and lifestyle coaching.

It's possible you and your spouse/domestic partner could be assigned the same health coach if you are working on the same or similar actions to improve your health. However, if you are working on nutrition habits and your spouse/domestic partner is working on quitting smoking, you may be assigned different coaches who are trained in these two different areas.

You can discontinue medical benefits for your spouse/domestic partner at any time during the year. When you do, your out-of-pocket expense level will be adjusted if your spouse/domestic partner has a lower level, but it will not be made retroactive to the beginning of the year – the change will only apply from that point forward to the end of the year. The best time to discontinue coverage when your spouse/domestic partner's out-of-pocket expense level is lower than yours is during open enrollment for the following year.

If you are sure you're going to retire this year, you do not need to take the wellness assessment or complete an individual action plan because the out-of-pocket expense level you earn this year applies to next year. However, completing the wellness assessment can provide you with valuable information about your risk for developing health problems in the future as well as helpful recommendations for maintaining or improving your health. And, participating in an individual action plan can give you valuable help in maintaining or improving your health for your retirement.

These companies are two third-party vendors who are administering the wellness assessment and individual action plans for King County. HealthMedia works with Healthways to administer the wellness assessment and provide you with your wellness assessment summary. Healthways uses information from the wellness assessment to enroll and support you in your individual action plan. For more information about HealthMedia, visit www.HealthMedia.com. For more information about Healthways, visit www.Healthways.com.

Yes, you must take the wellness each January to earn the silver out-of-pocket expense level so you can then complete an individual action plan by June 30 to earn the gold out-of-pocket expense level for your medical benefits for the next year.

You can take the wellness assessment until June 30 to earn the silver out of pocket expense level, but to earn gold, you must take it by January 31 so there is plenty of time to complete an individual action plan by June 30.

It takes most people about 20-40 minutes to complete the wellness assessment.

Yes, but you must contact Benefits and Retirement Operations to ask that a paper copy be sent to you. If you cover a spouse or domestic partner who also prefers to take the wellness assessment on paper, he/she should also request a paper copy.

To earn the gold out-of-pocket expense level, you must request a paper copy by Jan. 15 each year. To earn the silver out-of-pocket expense level, your paper wellness assessment must be postmarked by Apr. 15 each year.

Contact Benefits and Retirement Operations at 206-684-1556 or kc.benefits@kingcounty.gov to ask for a paper copy.

Yes, you can use county equipment to take the wellness assessment, but you must complete it on your own time. It takes most people 20-40 minutes to take the wellness assessment, so be sure to allow enough time between 20-40 minutes over a break or lunch to complete it. Remember to protect your privacy by not leaving your computer unattended or leaving any documents on a printer or in other public areas.

The wellness assessment summary is the report you receive after you take the wellness assessment. Your wellness assessment summary describes your health risks and lists some of the healthy actions you can take to maintain or improve your health. It is different than your individual action plan.