This year’s Incentivized Wellness Program (IWP) ends Friday, Sept. 30, 2016, but the good news is there’s still time to participate and earn “wellness credits,” which are financial incentives applied toward your 2017 monthly medical insurance premium.
Health & Employee Wellness (HEW) offers the voluntary IWP as a way to engage employees and encourage them to make healthy lifestyle choices. Enrollment in Virgin Pulse, Argonne’s new online wellness engagement tool, is necessary to participate in the IWP, although not all components of the program are accessed through Virgin Pulse. Virgin Pulse is open to all benefit-eligible employees.
For the 2017 benefit year, there are four different levels of possible credits, so you can earn some credit even if you have not completed the entire program.
More than 60 percent of your co-workers are already taking part, and nearly half of those have earned the full incentive and lowered their health insurance costs next year by $600, the maximum credit offered (see charts below). And, with the earlier Sept. 30, 2016 deadline, you will know your earned Wellness Credit amount before going into open enrollment so you’ll be better prepared when making benefit choices.
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If you are enrolled in Virgin Pulse and have earned the full 80,000 points, do not delete your account. Virgin Pulse will report employees’ credit status to Payroll on Oct. 1, 2016, and employees must remain in the system to be in that reporting.
Quick ways to earn wellness credits
If you’ve waited until now to start, it may be challenging to earn the 80,000 points necessary to qualify for the full $600 health insurance credit, but you can still pick up an easy 75,000 points, a $450 credit, just by completing these three components:
- Health risk assessment questionnaire in Virgin Pulse. Completion of the health risk assessment earns 25,000 points, lowering next year’s health insurance premiums by $150.
- “Sweet Dreams: The Power of Sleep” lecture. Check the schedule for lecture times or view as an online course. Completion of the lecture earns 25,000 points, lowering next year’s health insurance premiums by $150.
- Basic health screening at the HEW Clinic. The screening process this year is quick and easy, with no blood test required. We will check your height, weight, waist measurement, blood pressure and pulse. As part of our focus on sleep, you’ll also be assessed for your risk of obstructive sleep apnea by a neck measurement and a simple questionnaire. To schedule an appointment, call our scheduling desk at ext. 2-2800, option 1 or email us. Due to the expected high number of last-minute health screenings, employees who have not yet scheduled their screening are encouraged to do so soon as timeslots are filling up quickly. You can also take the 2016 Health Screening Form to your own doctor, and turn the completed form into HEW by Friday, Sept. 30, 2016. Completion of a health screening earns 25,000 points, lowering next year’s health insurance premiums by $150.
Start participating in the IWP today for a healthier tomorrow and save on next year’s health insurance premiums.