Wellness Incentives Should Apply to Whole Family, Say Consumers in HealthMine Survey

43% Want Health Incentives for Employee and All Dependents, Potentially Countering Pending EEOC Legislation

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Jul 03, 2015, 08:25 ET

DALLAS, July 3, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a HealthMine survey, 43% of 1,200 consumers queried with self- and employer-sponsored health insurance want financial incentives in a wellness program to be offered to their dependents as well as themselves. However, new proposed wellness regulations from the EEOC state that employers may only be able to provide incentives of up to 30% of the total cost of self-only coverage, even if the employee is enrolled in a different coverage tier and the employee's spouse or dependents are eligible to participate in the wellness program. This proposed limit (based upon self-only coverage) may run counter to consumer wishes for financial incentives that apply more broadly to the entirety of their enrolled family. The survey was fielded May 15-27, 2015, with results analyzed in June.

Self-only coverage is an important point of discussion and commentary as wellness program incentives are reviewed pending final legislation from the EEOC.

Additionally, the HealthMine survey uncovered that "cash is king" when it comes to wellness incentives. More than half—52%—of consumers say that cash rewards would most increase their likelihood of participating in wellness programs. Additionally, 46% prefer lower health insurance premiums, and 39% of consumers want gift cards.

Bryce Williams, CEO and President of HealthMine said, "The potential benefits of wellness programs can extend far beyond the primary insured—if plan sponsors can offer both employees and dependents meaningful incentives." He continued, "Cash and lowered insurance premiums are two of the most powerful levers plan sponsors have to pull."

About the Survey

The HealthMine Health Plan Member Survey was fielded by Survey Sampling International (SSI) on May 15-27, 2015. Data were collected via an opt-in panel of 1,200 respondents. The margin of error is 4%. Survey Sampling International (SSI) has been the Worldwide Leader in Survey Sampling and Data Collection Solutions, across every mode, for 37 Years.

Key Results

Q: In thinking about incentives for employees to manage health, do you think the incentives should be offered to the employee only, employee and spouse/partner, or employee and all dependents?

Employee only	30%
Employee and spouse/partner	27%
Employee and all dependents	43%

Q: Of the following types of incentives from your employer/health insurance company, please select up to three that would most increase your likelihood of participating in a wellness program.

Type of Incentive	Would Most Increase My Likelihood of Participating in Wellness
Cash rewards	52%
Lower health insurance premiums	46%
Gift cards	39%
Days/hours off	36%
Bigger contributions to HSAs	21%
Gym discounts	17%
Small gifts (t-shirts, tickets to events)	9%
Free food at program	8%
Raffles for gifts or financial rewards	8%
Competition with prizes for winners	7%
I would participate without an incentive	6%
Losing a pre-payment of my own $	5%
I would not participate even with incentive	5%

About HealthMine

HealthMine, a leading consumer health engagement company, has developed the wellness industry's first and only Personal Clinical Engagement technology platform. HealthMine empowers individuals to make meaning of their health information by automatically collecting clinical data, identifying risk for chronic disease, and setting health goals. Making it easy for consumers to manage their own health, HealthMine provides a personalized health portal available on any device, and delivers tailored recommendations, resources and incentives. HealthMine has more than one million users, and has saved employers and payers more than $100 million in healthcare costs. The company, founded in 2008, is based in Dallas, Texas with offices in San Francisco, New York and Minneapolis.

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SOURCE HealthMine