Fit county workers get cheaper insurance

Published 10:51 pm Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office employees and other county workers lined up at the jail Tuesday morning to have their vision tested and their blood pressure checked.

They were registering for the county’s wellness program. The county has offered the program for several years, but employees now have an extra incentive to sign up. Those who participate won’t be subject to planned health insurance rate hikes next year.

“For the last several years, the county’s costs for health care have been increasing by about $200,000 a year. And the last time we had an increase in premiums was more than three years ago,” said county human resources director Jackie Palacios.

Palacios says the county hopes having workers participate in the program can help cut health care costs.

The premise is pretty simple. Full-time workers and their spouses who have health insurance through the county essentially get a free physical when they register. That’s what was happening Tuesday at the jail and what will be happening today at the 911 Center.

They have their blood pressure checked. They are weighed and have a vision check and glaucoma test. And they have blood drawn to test their cholesterol and blood sugar.

Based on those results, health coaches — nurses employed by the program’s administrator, Medi Point — make recommendations to each member of the plan. These include goals to help improve their health and steps they can take to reach those goals. Those steps may include visits to dietitians or doctors.

Palacios says the program is based on compliance.

That means if someone takes all of the steps recommended by the health coach they will remain in the program. But if people don’t take those steps, they will be out of compliance with the plan and will face the higher insurance rates.

“It’s a good idea. Some people don’t see a doctor regularly, and this gives them a chance to basically have a free checkup,” said Debbie Clark, a clerk in Probate Court.

Full-time employees who don’t have health insurance can get the testing for $20.

Palacios says it’s too soon to say how many county workers will sign up for the program, but based on results so far, she expects it will be a very high percentage.

The county won’t see any of the individual results from the health screenings. But Palacios says the county will see aggregated data. That will alert them if a large number of employees have, say, high blood pressure. The county may then schedule classes for employees on how to deal with such problems.

Murray County manager Tom Starnes says that county holds an annual heath fair for county employees. They can have their blood pressure checked and weight checked, among other things. But there’s no financial incentive for Murray County workers to take part in the health fair.

City of Dalton employees also have access to a wellness program. City administrator Butch Sanders says the program is currently voluntary, but the city is looking into making it mandatory.