To join the wellness plan or not....what do you think?

My company has a wellness plan that gives you $10 a week for an entire year if you meet a wellness goal.  Problem is you have to get blood work, then have them set a goal for you, then meet that goal.

1) Blood work is fasting test and I can not leave the house without taking my cholestyramine in OJ....can't have that before the bloodwork.

2) Supposedly completely private from my employer, but I am always suspect of that.  Of course, they couldn't do anything based on medical conditions without it being obvious how they knew...so just some paranoia

3) With my CD, my back issues, my minor heart issues and my weight....I can't see them setting a goal I can meet especially with my diet added in to that.  I am very conscious of my care and what I need to do and I don't think this will incent me anymore than I am now.

I can call that outside wellness company to discuss my medical issues, but I am wondering if this is all worth $520.  I have avoided these programs in the past.  Just curious what the majority opinion is out there.

i'd find out exactly what they are testing for, who gets the info etc...
can you get away with a tiny sip or so of oj?
a lot of times even with fasting levels you can check with the lab prior and see if its ok to drink something if you need to due to meds. a lot of times if they know they can still test.
i'd personally be a bit wary about the plan- but i'm starting to get a bit weird about all this personal info floating around anyway...most companies- especially big ones like mine fund their insurance plans themselves- i know the med info is supposed to be 100% confidential but that can't be the case if they are paying for my medical expenses...

Habs, I think the bloodwork sounds a little peculiar. It seems a little dictatorial for someone to set your goal and reward you only if you meet their goal.

Also, what can you spend the money on and does the money carry over to the next year? $10 a week could take a long time to add up to something usable, when it comes to wellness items.

Also, if at any time you sign insurance papers, there's usually a clause in there about insurers sharing information and having access to it.

Just seems like there's a lot of strings attached to this wellness plan.

eeek Bruins!?!?

for your husband (and yourself :P)

So a Habs fan, a Leafs fan and a Bruins fan are standing on top of a mountain and talking about who is the best fan.

The leafs fan in the heat of the argument screams: "I'M THE BIGGEST LEAFS FAN" and jumps off the mountain saying "FOR TORONTO!"

The Bruins and Montreal fans look at each other for a while then the Montreal fan screams: "I'M THE BIGGEST MONTREAL FAN" and while screaming "FOR MONTREAL!" he turns and pushes the bruins fan off the mountain.

hehe

I guess it would depend on how much you need the extra money...that said, I don't think I would do it. Before I was diagnosed with Crohn's I was admitted to the hospital with chest pain. I had a full work up and discovered that I was severely anemic (from the Crohn's) and there was nothing wrong with my heart. Blue Cross has on their system that I have heart disease and despite my best efforts to have this removed, I can't successfully get it off their system! Careful what you share with insurance companies!

My husbands company has an outside company that administers their incentive program. The Employee can earn up to $800, spouse up to $400. The programs are all run online, most run 6 weeks and payout $100, some payout $150. You get $150 for filling out a basic health assessment, which must be filled out to participate, so there is $300 per couple right out of the starting gate. There is nothing in the health assessment that the insurance company doesn't have access to already and you could lie your A$% off and no one would know.

The incentive programs are silly. You fill out a multiple choice questionnaire about your current choices about the given health topic (diabetes prevention, stress, heart health, exercise, making good food choices....), then each week you are suppose to read a few articles on the given topic, but you can just click the box and say that you read it. At the end of the 6 weeks, you fill out another mult choice questionnaire and you get a summary of what you learned. "you feel you can make better choices at the grocery store, you feel you can not fit more exercise into your day...." It takes all of 3 minutes each week to click the boxes and we make $1200 post tax money. Totally worth it!

There is no one setting a goal for me, no blood work involved, nothing. Part of their program does involve health coaching with a nurse and you get $200 for participating in that. But, it is voluntary and you can certainly reach the monetary limits without doing it.