Released: July 11, 2007

Insurance rewards healthy workers

Source: Julie Appleby, USA Today

Overweight smokers with high cholesterol and blood pressure could pay $2,000 more a year in health insurance deductibles than their fitter co-workers under a new type of insurance being offered by the nation’s largest insurer.

While many employers have programs that reward workers with cash or lower health care costs simply for joining wellness programs or starting treatment, the new policies from UnitedHealthcare go a step further: It’s not enough to just try to live a healthier life.

“We’re going to reward individuals for health results, not just actions,” says Tom Beauregard, a senior vice president at UnitedHealthcare, which began offering the new policies to midsize employers in Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Colorado this month and may launch them nationwide next year.

The policies are seen as the latest move in a growing effort by employers to have workers pay more toward health care costs and take more responsibility for their own health

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