Columbus, Ohio – Jim Brown started doing aerobics, running and lifting weights two years ago to slim down. Now his employer is giving him another reason to stay in shape and eat right: money.
Worthington Industries Inc. has been one of the rare businesses to pay the full cost of employee health insurance, but it put limits on its generous policy last year. The company said its workers had to take responsibility for their health if they wanted to continue getting free health insurance.
“I had a choice to be lazy or lean,” said Brown, 44, an information technology employee who lost 90 pounds and has reached his goal of 210 pounds.
Despite being overweight, Brown didn’t have any health problems, but he noted: “If I hadn’t changed, things probably would catch up with me.”
Worthington, a steel-processing company that employs 8,000, is among a growing number of businesses turning to worker incentives, both big and small, to help slow health-insurance costs.
In Minneapolis, Fairview Health Services gives gift certificates of up to $100 at the company store for workers who take part in health programs. UnitedHealthcare, with headquarters in the Minneapolis area, will knock about $100 a year off health-insurance premiums for employees who fill out a 10-minute assessment that asks about their diet and blood pressure and then suggests ways they can improve their health.
The nation’s largest hospital operator, HCA Inc. of Nashville, Tenn., said that in 2002 it saved $2.76 for every $1 it invested.
The employer gave a $116 cash incentive to each participant who completed a weight-management program.
Other companies or insurance plans have offered workers financial rewards for exercising, dieting or other healthy behaviors. Some have started on-site fitness programs and pay for gym memberships.
