Monday, September 08, 2008

Wellness Programs

This is going to sound petty, but I’ll write it anyway. Do highly educated people with fabulous health benefits need to be enticed into using both their brains and their benefits with “wellness” forums, freebies and football cheerleaders? What ever happened to common sense and self-interest? These people actually do pay for all their benefits--their salaries are reduced to compensate, but I think if they received the money in their paychecks then had to purchase the benefits from a list and see the money decrease, they’d be less likely to have a need to be cajoled and bribed into using them.
    “Sponsored by the [Ohio State University] Faculty and Staff Wellness Program, the University Staff Advisory Committee, Your Plan for Health and the Department of Recreation Sports, you can visit more than 100 exhibitors and health care professionionals [sic]; grab a free lunch; obtain various health screenings; and cheer with the Buckeye players, band, cheerleaders and Brutus Buckeye. Be sure to get your free biometric screening to complete your Personal Health Assessment (visit http://yourplanforhealth.com/pha.html to reserve a time). You also can purchase fresh produce from a farmer's market, learn how to "go green," and sample goodies from a healthy cooking demonstration.”

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't know how it works there, but I know for my employer, the insurance carrier gives them a discount when they offer those sort of classes and information. Consequently I frequently get emails and reminders on how to live more safely (such as wearing layers during the winter). I find them incredibly annoying, but I also know that the city saves money by doing it. AND, that probably does put more money into my pocket.

Norma said...

So it is the advertising of the benefits and not actually your fellow employees doing anything that lowers the cost? And how large a department is that to keep all that going? Who doesn't know that eating less and moving more reduces weight, or that you stop smoking by. . .quitting?