Survey takes pulse of benefits, wellness initiatives for businesses [Danville Register & Bee, Va.]

Jan. 25--CHATHAM -- Just more than half of employers in the Dan River Region offer wellness programs in health insurance plans for their employees, according to a recent survey.

About 60 local employers responded to the survey by the Regional Healthcare Roundtable Group on the health benefits and wellness initiatives they offer to workers.

The group -- with assistance from the Danville Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce -- conducted the online survey of businesses and industries in Danville and Pittsylvania County.

Gateway Health Alliance Inc., which includes Danville Regional Medical Center, held a meeting of the group Thursday at the Olde Dominion Agricultural Complex where the survey's results were released. About 20-25 people attended the meeting.

The survey queried employers about health insurance premium costs, co-pays, wellness concerns and related matters. Survey responders included industries such as real estate, educational services, manufacturing, public administration, construction and natural resources, health care and other professions.

About 62 percent of those surveyed offer full health insurance to their employees.

The survey's results revealed a lower-than-expected number of businesses offering wellness programs for their workers, Kelly Fitzgerald, DRMC's director of marketing.

"We want to help employers focus on wellness," Fitzgerald said at the meeting Thursday. Wellness programs can lower health care costs by reducing workers' trips to the doctor or emergency room and keeping them healthy, Fitzgerald said.

According to the study's results, 54.55 percent of Dan River Region employers who responded offered a wellness program for employees and those remaining did not. Just a third of employers offered incentives for healthy living and/or wellness program participation -- such as lower insurance premiums for non-smokers or reimbursement for gym memberships.

"We're big believers in incentives," said Brett Jackson, executive director of Danville-based Gateway Health, during the presentation of the results.

Employers with less than 50 employees made up the majority of respondents (48 percent), while 15 percent had 500 or more workers, according to the results.

In the tobacco-rich Dan River Region, less than half of employers -- 44 percent -- have a tobacco-free work environment, 29 percent do not plan on pursuing a tobacco-free workplace and 27 percent intend to.

Also, 76 percent of employers who offered health care coverage offered preferred provider organization (PPO) coverage as their traditional insurance plan, while just 6 percent offered coverage under a health maintenance organization (HMO).

More than half (55.43 percent) did not offer a health savings account or health reimbursement account, while just under 8 percent offered both. About a quarter offered an HSA.

The workgroup -- made up of business members -- was founded in April and its goals are to develop a community-wide "best practices" for employee health benefit goals and design; share news, information and long-terms successes; empower employers with data for making decisions; establish employer/employee benchmarks for plan performance; examine contemporary cost control and health improvement strategies; and assist in adoption of strategies by roundtable group members.

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