Monetary rewards help spark healthy habits

A Healthy Thought:
“We are proud of what our Rhode Island employees have been able to achieve.” 
Maria Gordon-Shydlo 
Public relations director
A Healthy Thought: “We are proud of what our Rhode Island employees have been able to achieve.” Maria Gordon-Shydlo Public relations director

People usually evaluate their health by simple observations: an ache in a joint or a lesion on the skin. As a corporate body, UnitedHealthcare of New England has a striking figure to measure its employees’ health.
Nationally, the company saved more than $100 million on employee health costs during the first 36 months of its Your Rewards for Health program, founded in 2010, said Maria Gordon-Shydlo, director of public relations.
UnitedHealthcare of New England is a division of UnitedHealth Group, employing 115,000 people globally and 180 in Warwick, said Catherine Theodore, the company’s Rhode Island wellness coordinator.
Your Rewards for Health is a personal scorecard that employees can use to create and track wellness goals, supplemented by print, video and online educational offerings. This includes private time in a resource room at the office. Working from a baseline and earning points for progress, UnitedHealthcare employees can shave up to $1,200 a year off their health insurance premiums, said Gordon-Shydlo.
As a result of Your Rewards for Health, said Gordon-Shydlo, 20 percent of diabetics in the program were diagnosed for the first time; 46 percent of participants lost weight in the first year; and 74 percent of participants had preventive visits or screenings. Other company initiatives include fresh fruit in the office and walking/running challenge events.
“We are proud of what our Rhode Island employees have been able to achieve,” said Gordon-Shydlo.

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