What is the Wellness Assessment?
All benefit-eligible employees, except deputy sheriffs, and their covered spouse or domestic partner have the opportunity to take a wellness assessment through HealthMedia, a company independent of King County. Employees and spouse/domestic partners can take the wellness assessment anytime online before June 30 to earn the silver out-of-pocket expense level for their medical coverage in the following year – however, they must take the wellness assessment in January each year as the first step toward earning the gold out-of-pocket expense level.
The wellness assessment is a private and confidential online form that asks questions about lifestyle and behavior to determine an individual's risk level of low, medium or high for developing a chronic health condition. By working now to identify and change unhealthy behaviors, individuals can drastically reduce the likelihood of developing a chronic health condition. In other words, high blood pressure does not have to lead to a stroke if managed correctly.
Healthways, another company independent of King County, uses information on chronic health risk from the wellness assessment to work with each individual to develop a tailored individual action plan.
Participation in the individual action plan earns the gold out-of-pocket expense level for medical coverage in the following year. Questions?
Anyone with questions about the Health IncentivesSM program may contact Benefits and Retirement Operations at 206-684-1556 or kc.benefits@kingcounty.gov.
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