April 4, 2006
County makes it worth while for employees to get moving
If you work for King County, you can now move more for less. King County employees are taking advantage of discounted memberships at gyms in the region as part of the county’s effort to reduce health care costs by helping employees live healthier lives.
“The health of our employees is directly tied to the health of our region,” said King County Executive Ron Sims. “Preventing chronic disease in our employees helps contain rising medical costs that unchecked could compromise the services we provide the region.”
The county worked with 11 gyms to provide discounts to employees at 101 athletic facilities in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties. More than 25 gyms in the region were contacted about offering discounts to employees, retirees and their families. Eleven responded. Discounts range from a percentage off the monthly fee to waiving the initiation fee.
The discounted gym memberships come at a perfect time for the more than 90 percent of employees and their covered spouses or domestic partners who enrolled in a new wellness program at the beginning of the year. The wellness program is part of the county’s Health Reform Initiative, which strives to contain skyrocketing health care costs by improving employee health. Under the initiative, the county has a new benefits program that links out-of-pocket expense levels to an employee’s level of participation in wellness activities. Working out at a gym could reduce an employee’s out-of-pocket expenses if it helps that employee achieve a personal goal of exercising more.
Last month, the county brought Weight Watchers At Work® directly to employees at worksites, and already seven meetings have been organized with more than 170 members.
King County’s Health Reform Initiative is an innovative response to rising health care costs. By improving the quality of care in the region and focusing on preventing chronic disease in its employees, the county plans to reduce the rate of escalating health care costs by $40 million by 2009. Its approach is unique in the nation. With the Puget Sound Health Alliance – a regional partnership of employers, patients, physicians, health plans and others working together to improve the quality of health care and reduce its cost in a five-county area – King County is engaged in strategies that will help eliminate costly waste by introducing evidence-based standards to improve the quality of medical care that people in the region receive. With employees, King County’s approach to reducing the rate of health care cost increases emphasizes effective disease management and rewards healthy lifestyle choices. The Health Reform Initiative includes a new benefit plan that rewards participation in wellness activities and provides case management, disease management, and outreach and education for more than 13,000 employees and their spouses or domestic partners.
Related information: King County Gym Discount Program