Blue Cross Blue Shield Of Massachusetts' Healthy Actions Wellness Plan Increases Savings Available To Employers And Partners With The Retailers Association Of Massachusetts

It Pays to Be Healthy

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Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts

May 21, 2015, 10:47 ET

BOSTON, May 21, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (Blue Cross) is increasing the savings available to employers as it continues to experience rapid adoption of its Healthy Actions wellness program designed for individuals and small business employers with up to 99 employees.

"We launched Healthy Actions to help fill a void in easy to adopt wellness offerings that meet the needs of small businesses to keep their employees healthy while making health care more affordable," said Larry Croes, Vice President for Commercial and Municipal Markets at Blue Cross. "Now in its third year, we currently have more than 1,000 employer customers enrolled covering over 26,000 employees."

The Retailers Association of Massachusetts (RAM), which operates one of the state's certified group purchasing cooperatives, recently adopted Healthy Actions as its sponsored wellness program for all members purchasing Blue Cross plans through the cooperative.

"Healthy Actions provides our small business members and their employees with the tools and financial incentives necessary to realize meaningful health care cost savings through investment in wellness," said RAM President Jon Hurst. "Wellness programs with real financial incentives to both the employer and employee should no longer just be the domain of big businesses, but rather they must be available and utilized on Main Street to achieve both healthier workforces and fairer insurance rates."

Healthy Actions rewards engagement and evidence-based health outcomes for each of the key players required for a successful wellness program for a small business– the employer, the participant and their physicians:

Employees: Up to $300 per year in potential incentives for completing a health assessment and working with their primary care physician to successfully achieve agreed upon biometric results. Over $3 million in rewards have been earned by more than 11,000 participants to date.
Businesses: Reward amounts up to 7.5 percent of paid premium for accounts (up from 5 percent), based on employee participation and success in achieving Healthy Actions biometric goals. Approximately $2 million in rewards have been earned to date.
Physicians: Financial recognition for engaging their patients regarding their Healthy Actions goals and health improvement.

Blue Cross selected IncentiSoft Solutions, a subsidiary of Bravo Wellness and a national leader in results-based wellness programs, to partner with in administering the Healthy Actions program. "We are honored to have been selected as the administrative partner for this incredibly innovative product," said Bravo Wellness CEO Jim Pshock. He added, "Blue Cross has truly established a model where all parties win when they are engaged in maintaining and improving their health."

The McCormack Firm showcased the benefits of Healthy Actions on the Blue Cross Leading Through Change website. For other examples, please visit the Health Actions website.

About Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (www.bluecrossma.com) is a community-focused, tax-paying, not-for-profit health plan headquartered in Boston. We are the trusted health plan for more than 29,000 Massachusetts employers and are committed to working with others in a spirit of shared responsibility to make quality health care affordable. Consistent with our corporate promise to always put our 2.8 million members first, we are rated among the nation's best health plans for member satisfaction and quality. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google+.

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SOURCE Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts