F.A.Q.

Frequently Asked Questions

If reducing healthcare costs is this easy, why haven’t I heard of this plan before?

Different people have found that doing three items will reduce healthcare costs: using one’s own money, promoting a wellness program, and by using financial incentives to promote wellness. Each of these items has been shown to reduce healthcare costs by themselves. However, until now, no one has tried to incorporate all three items into the same program. With Healthy X Change you will achieve the benefits of all three items to maximize healthcare cost reduction. With personal experience and over 25 years of experience in the insurance business, I have the knowledge and the drive to create and implement this innovative program.

Who pays for the Health Coaches?

Health Coaches are paid for out of the Healthy X Change Administration Expenses.

Who sets up health goals?

Individuals in consultation with their Health Coaches will create the goal guidelines.

Who tracks the employees’ progress towards health goals and certifies they have been completed?

The Health Coaches track and certify when the goals are met.

Are the goals an on-going process, or are they something that only needs to be done periodically to achieve certification?

Goals are set up to be earned throughout the program. For example: If your goal is to walk 5 miles each week and for every week you accomplish this goal you get $25, if you meet this goal for 10 weeks for $250 and then miss 10 weeks, you will not lose the $250 you had already accumulated, however you will not gain the $25 per week for any of the weeks you did not meet your goal.

As a very busy HR person, am I going to be bogged down with more work to keep track of employee participation and certification?

Health Coaches will keep track of the participation and the certification.

Are the goals of each employee made available to the employer?

Yes

Where do the Bio-Data Appraisals take place?

The Bio-Data Appraisals are mobile and can be done at a location of your convenience.

Who pays for the appraisals?

Employers pay out of the healthcare funds.

Are appraisals conducted on company time?

No, unless this is approved by the employer.

Can the information obtained in an employees’ health appraisal be given to the employer?

No, as the HIPAA regulations do not allow this information to be given to the employer.

Will health insurance companies have access to the information in the Bio-Data Appraisals?

The only people that will have access to this information are Healthy X Change and the Stop-Loss Insurer.

Will the Appraisal information be used to determine an employee or employer cost for healthcare?

No

Who determines the amount of Health Recovery Award that will be allocated to each employee as their incentive?

These will be based on Healthy X Change’s Administrations recommendations.

Who distributes the award?

The Bank Trustee upon certification of approval at year end.

What happens if the employee has earned the award, but is terminated prior to the distribution of the award?

His portion of the award he has earned is fully vested, and he will receive what has been earned.

What happens to the money allocated to employees who do not reach their goals?

Those dollars remain in the dividend fund and are used towards future awards.

What is the cost charged for Healthy X Change’s role and the services they provide?

The average cost for fees is generally 15% of the total cost of the plan, however based on variations from company to company and the options they choose, the cost can fluctuate 5%.

What happens at the end of the year if my cost for self-funded insurance, stop-loss insurance and healthcare claims exceeds the amount I’ve set aside for healthcare costs?

The Employer is liable.

Is there a guarantee I will have a reduction in healthcare costs?

No, however studies have shown that there is a reduction in healthcare costs when wellness and incentive programs are used.

In order to participate in the plan, must we have self-funded healthcare?

Yes, as your company must have control of the dollars in order to allocate incentives.

If we are self-funded, does that mean our accounting department will be busy processing insurance claims?

No, the third party administrators adjudicate all claims.

Who selects the third party administrators?

Healthy X Change selects the third part administrators with the approval of the employer.

Who administers the self-funded healthcare program?

Healthy X Change administers the self-funded healthcare program with the employer’s participation.

Are there others currently enrolled in the Healthy X Change Program, and if so what has been their experience?

yes, please see the queston below for contact information.

Can I speak with one of your clients and get a better idea from them personally on how well the program was received by their employees?

Yes, we would be happy to give you the contact information of one of our clients for you to speak with. Please call our office at 715-835-5161 for the contact name, company and telephone number.