Employee Fitness Plans

Well, its not so much of a physical exam. But it is related. But find this interesting none the less...

Volkswagen is requiring production workers hired for its new U.S. assembly plant in Chattanooga, Tenn., to go through a fitness program on top of the usual job training, aiming to forge an "industrial athlete!"

• BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee charges employees $25 per pay period --about $600 a year -- if they do not participate in the company's workplace wellness program.

• Georgia state employees have a "workplace wellness" premium that allows employees to pay a lower health insurance premium if they participate in the wellness program, about 6 percent less than they would pay for a standard premium.

• The Tennessee Valley Authority gives employees the opportunity to reach certain health metrics, such as desirable body mass index or correct cholesterol levels, paying employees up to $200 a year if they reach all the targets or take steps to improve their health.

My question to each of you is... do you believe your employer should force you or even encourage you to participate in such program?

Where I work, nobody is forced to participate in any kind of wellness plan. They do however offer various wellness activities throughout the year (such as competing to collect points for physical activity, free health screenings) and you can win prizes. For the health screening every year, some stuff is free, others (like the cholesterol panel) have a nominal fee, but will charge to your insurance. You get a free t-shirt and usually something else, like a water bottle, for participating. Then your name is put in the drawing for prizes. Your name goes in to equal the number of health tests you participated in. For example, if all you did was get the free blood pressure screening, your name would go in once. If you did the blood pressure, body fat percentage check, and cholesterol check, you would go in 3 times. There's several more too. If you do everything, it can take awhile.

. . . . My question to each of you is... do you believe your employer should force you or even encourage you to participate in such program?

It depends who is paying for health insurance.

If the employer is paying, the employees should receive benefits for better health and out of shape employees should be charged for not meeting the standards because insurance benefits payments by the insurance company for out of shape employees will cause the employer's rates to go up.

If the employee does not receive insurance from the employer the employer should have nothing to say about the situation.

Basically, if you're your own man, you get to do what you want. If somebody else is paying, you have to do what they say.

I'm gonna echo Susie here, if your company is footing the bill for the better portion of your medical insurance then like it or not they should have a say. I'm in Supply Chain Management and one of the big things we go over ever year in our financials is the cost vs. expense of our medical plans. Things that always come up in these meetings are what we can do to mitigate the need for expensive procedures that could have been prevented. Over the last few years we've instituted a health assessment that is taken as part of your yearly benefits enrollment. If your identified as in a risk category you must participate in a wellness plan or be charged an additional 50 dollars a month (600 on the year) on your health insurance premiums.

We also have an onsite medical facility and offer programs similar to what Susan stated below. Our associates can get some easy to perform and rather basic wellness exams done at work and doing so entitles them to raffle entries and nominal prizes. We also have an athletic health specialist on site and a stretching program that's voluntary. Any associate that participates in the stretching activities everyday for a month gets put into a prize drawing for gift cards.

These programs do work and help prevent on the job injuries and long term illness. I'm a firm believer if these measures weren't in place the cost of medical insurance at my company would easily be double what it is now.

From what I have heard VW Chattanooga does not give a post hire physical examination to new employees.

My wife's employer has a wellness program. It is voluntary, but my wife says almost all the employees participate, about 95%, herself included. In exchange for a lower health insurance premium that has no deductible and low copays with better coverage, and a few extra sick days a year, the employee has to submit to a physical once a year. The initial physical upon being hired is done by an occupational health clinic contracted by the company. After that, the annual physical can be performed by the employee's own provider. The exam consists of age and gender appropriate screenings. For males it usually consists of the usual genital and rectal exams. For females it includes the usual breast and pelvic exams with a Pap test and rectovaginal/rectal exams. Women get a mammogram at age 40, then at intervals determined by her doctor. Men and women get a colonoscopy at 50. After that first one the frequency is determined by the employee's doctor.

My wife has whatever screenings/exams our doctor or PA that works for our doctor suggests. And since the physical she has for the wellness program includes a breast exam, full pelvic with a Pap, and a rectovaginal/rectal exam, she doesn't bother with a separate physical for her annual well woman exam. It's already been done!