“Reasonable Alternatives” – Finalized Outcome Based Wellness Program Rules; effective health insurance plan year on or after January 1, 2014

As part of health care reform, wellness programs that provide incentives based on specific health metrics (i.e. BMI, cholesterol, etc.) will be required to offer “reasonable alternative standards” to employees who do not meet the initial requirements. The final rules also increase the maximum dollar amount of rewards or surcharges to 30% of the total premium cost of health care coverage (up from 20%) and up to 50% for incentives tied to smoking prevention or reduction programs. * Reasonable alternative standards: Employees must be given an opportunity to qualify for the reward if they fail to meet the initial standard. For example, an employer could charge higher premium contributions to employees or spouses who have a Body Mass Index (BMI) in excess of 30. Therefore, the employer would have to offer an alternative means for participants to avoid the surcharge. [...]

Obama administration continues moving forward to implement health care law by releasing final rules on employment-based wellness programs

Laura McGinnis for the United States Department of Labor WASHINGTON - The U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and the Treasury today issued final rules on employment-based wellness programs. The final rules support workplace health promotion and prevention as a means to reduce the burden of chronic illness, improve health and limit growth of health care costs, while ensuring that individuals are protected from unfair underwriting practices that could otherwise reduce benefits based on health status. The final rules continue to support participatory wellness programs, which generally are available without regard to an individual's health status. These include programs that reimburse for the cost of membership in a fitness center; that provide a reward to employees for attending a monthly, no-cost health education seminar; or that reward employees who complete a health risk assessment, without requiring them to take [...]

His 50th birthday one Tough Mudder

Sue Reid for The Solon Times It was a 50th birthday celebration that Solon resident Bill Frankel won’t soon forget. It involved plunging into freezing cold water, jumping through fire and running through electrical wires – and that was the fun part. Mr. Frankel, along with six of his close friends and colleagues at Be Well Solutions in Solon, took part in the Tough Mudder event recently in Mansfield. A 10 mile-plus, military-style obstacle course designed by the British Forces, Tough Mudder not only tests one’s physical strength, but also mental stamina. Drawing more than 700,000 participants worldwide, the event raises funds in support of the Wounded Warrior Project. “I’ve done marathons and triathlons and am a long-distance runner and cycler, so ‘been there, done that,’” Mr. Frankel, who turned 50 on May 2, explained of deciding how to mark [...]