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from the Run With Cops Not From Them 5K Run/Walk benefitting Behind the Badge Foundation and the 47th Annual Training Conference of the International Association of Women Police.County bends trend on health costs

King County’s Health Reform Initiative is bending the trend on health care costs and improving the health of employees, with one of the highest participation rates in the country for employee wellness programs. That’s according to the Fourth Annual King County Health Reform Initiative (HRI) Measurement and Evaluation Report.

The annual report tracks results of the program from 2005 through 2008 and is accompanied by validation from national experts that the methodology is sound, the results valid and the approach is on the right track.

“King County staff members have used sound and defensible statistical methods to analyze the HRI’s progress in reaching its health and financial goals,” says the quality assurance report authored by Ron Goetzel, Vice President of Consulting and Applied Research in the Healthcare division of Thomson Reuters. “The changes in King County employees’ self-reported health risk are positive and impressive.”

The report’s findings show that:Jay Roney, Training Officer DAJD, quit smoking with the aid of King County's Quit Tobacco program

  • the county’s health care expenses were $18 million less than projected since the program began in 2005.
  • statistically significant improvements have been made in 12 out of 14 health indicators including body weight, cholesterol, blood pressure, smoking, and managing stress.
  • participation rates are among the highest in the nation for employee wellness programs. County employees and their spouses or domestic partners covered by the county’s benefits participate at a rate of 90 percent and above.

In addition to evaluating research methodology, the Health Reform Initiative convened a peer review panel of four national experts to assess the current program design and make recommendations for the future. The peer review panel was “impressed by the cost data,” and found the Health Reform Initiative’s results “amazingly good.” The panel urged the county to continue its investment in the initiative and expand its incentivized wellness approach to addressing chronic conditions. “Employers in the forefront of the best practice employee health initiatives are implementing value-based insurance designs that actively reward members who adhere to recommended treatment plans for chronic conditions,” The report states.

Peer review panelists included Mike Cochran, benefits management consultant, past benefits manager for Washington Mutual and former Puget Sound Health Alliance board member; Peggy Hannon, Assistance Professor, Health Promotion Research Center, University of Washington; Dan Newton, Director, Total Health Management, Resolution Health, Inc.; and, Cindy Watts, Director, Resource Center for Health Policy, University of Washington.

One of last year's Live Well Challenge teams gets together for a healthy potluck.King County’s Fourth Annual Health Reform Initiative Measurement and Evaluation Report is part of a growing body of evidence that employee wellness programs work to reduce health care costs. This evidence is leading many employers to adopt the approach which reduces costs through financial- and behavior-based incentives, instead of simply shifting costs to employees. According to a national survey of employer health plans conducted by Mercer at least 65 percent of employers will offer employees a health risk assessment this year. A recent report on public radio’s “Marketplace” said many employers are cutting back on budgets and staff, but continuing to grow their employee wellness programs because of their potential long-term return on investment.

Incentive-based health plans are an approach Congress is giving a serious look as part of their health reform agenda. Senators Tom Harkin and John Cornyn introduced the Healthy Workforce Act to provide a 50 percent tax credit to businesses that offer a qualified, comprehensive wellness program to their employees. Say the Senators “We’ve all heard Einstein’s definition of insanity as doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result. Our current approach to health care fits that definition. It’s time for a new emphasis on wellness and disease prevention. Our bill will give American businesses powerful incentives to help lead the way.”

Through in-person meetings with its Congressional delegation, King County has voiced its support for the bill and asked for a modification that would provide the tax credit for existing wellness programs. If passed, the tax incentive could mean $1 million for the county.

For stories from King County employees about how the Health Reform Initiative has supported their efforts to get healthy, visit the Health Heroes site.