We're Giving Money Away

Since it’s open enrollment season, I’ve been reviewing all the great new and recent programs we have at UnitedHealthcare that help our members lead healthier lives or cut costs out of delivering health care. I don’t want to break my arm patting UnitedHealthcare on the back, but it really is amazing how much neat stuff we’re doing! I think I’ll spend a couple of blog entries talking about some of it.

One really great program is SimplyEngaged, which offers incentives to people who take an active role in improving their health. Our members who participate in the SimplyEngaged program receive a $75 reward for completing a health assessment online or over the phone. Then, based on personal results they are given recommendations for how to go about improving their health. Those who take advantage of tools like online or telephonic health coaching receive an additional $25 reward.

When Cattron Group International, a Sharpsville, PA-based manufacturer of radio remote controls, began to offer SimplyEngaged as a way to make its new insurance plan more attractive to employees, an older workforce who never saw preventative care as a high priority, the possibility of earning cash in return for better health was a cause for action.

So far, 365 Catron employees have enrolled in SimplyEngaged, 93 have completed the health assessment and received the initial $75 reward and 69 have gone further to participate in health coaching and other programs. Some of the most popular programs among employees at Cattron are the healthy lifestyles and health trackers programs as well as the personal health record.

One of the keys to the program’s popularity is that participation is confidential. Employees initiate the program themselves by completing the assessment and receive the financial rewards directly from UnitedHealthcare. This ensures compliance with HIPPA regulations and creates a boundary between the organization and employees’ personal lives.

Cattron likes Simply Engaged because so far it has helped increase the health literacy of its workers and made them more proactive in managing health concerns like hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes and arthritis while improving their overall wellness. With the help of Simply Engaged, they’re cashing in on better health.