What Is a Wellness Program?

A wellness program is an organized program intended to assist employees and family members in making voluntary behavior changes that reduce their health risks and enhance their individual productivity. Wellness programs vary widely in design and may offer opportunities or incentives for improving health and wellness, such as increasing fitness, losing weight, managing chronic health conditions, or quitting smoking.

Chiropractic care is not traditionally considered to be apart of an overall wellness plan, but it should consider more considering the documented benefits to our overall health. To hear more about the health benefits of visiting the chiropractor, read more about our article in the link. Chiropractors don’t quite get the same reputation as medical doctors to receive when treating health conditions but you might want to think twice about that. Read more about common health conditions chiropractors can treat for links to proven scientific outcomes.

Investing in a wellness program may save money over time by reducing health insurance costs. Plan sponsors will have to determine whether the value expected to be derived from offering a wellness program is worth the cost. Depending on the scope of the program, it can be a relatively low-cost way to encourage healthy behaviors among participants.

The healthier your employees are, the more productive they tend to be, and in return that improves your bottom line. One of the often-overlooked pandemics going around is stress, anxiety, and depression. As we go through our day-to-day lives, is important to have an outlet to relieve stress. Therefore, investing in the health and wellness of your employees is a good investment. It helps relieve tensions in the workplace and lighten the mood and ambiance of the workforce.

Offer to pay for an occasional trip to the chiropractor to receive a spinal adjustment to relieve back pain, especially if the employees work in a labor-intensive job. Additionally, you can pay for each employee to receive a deep tissue massage every 90 days which is a great perk that employees would not mind having. If your organization does not have great health insurance or cannot afford a top tier health insurance plan, a wellness plan is a great substitute.

Wellness programs must be carefully structured to comply with both state and federal law. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) (as amended by the Affordable Care Act), the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) and state discrimination laws will all impact the design of a wellness program. How state and federal laws apply to an employer’s wellness program is highly fact-specific and depends on the structure of each wellness program. Because of the potential risks of non-compliance, employers should have their legal counsel review wellness programs before the programs are introduced to employees.

Below is a sample plan provision regarding a wellness program.

Subject to the participant annual maximum benefit limit of [insert the annual maximum benefit limit], [c_officialname] will pay benefits for fees incurred by you and your spouse who is a participant, for participation in any of the below-described health and wellness programs that are sponsored by a hospital or a covered organization as defined below.

• A fitness facility or health club will be considered a covered organization by the claim administrator if the claim administrator, at its sole option, determines that the fitness facility or health club meets all of the following requirements:
  • Each fitness instructor is certified in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and a staff person certified in CPR is on the premises at all times of operation;
  • Written procedures exist for medical emergencies with all staff trained in these procedures;
  • Liability waivers are maintained on file for each participant by the fitness facility or health club;
  • The fitness facility or health club employs at least one full-time staff person with a minimum of a four-year degree in either health education, wellness education, physical education, exercise physiology, physical therapy, or public health or employs a full-time physician’s assistant, registered nurse, or physician;
  • An individual performs and evaluates a review or assessment of medical and physical health for each participant;
  • Membership fees are paid by or receipted to each participant on a quarterly or more frequent basis;
  • There is a designated manager or director of the fitness facility or health club; and
  • The fitness facility or health club has an accepted current wellness services provider application on file with the claim administrator as of the date fees are to be paid by the participant.

Other health agencies, post-secondary schools, clinics, fitness facilities, or other organizations offering educational programs will be considered covered organizations by the claim administrator if the claim administrator, at its sole option, determines that the program meets all of the following requirements:

 

• • The organization employs at least one full-time staff person with a minimum of a four-year degree in either health education, wellness education, physical education, exercise physiology, physical therapy, or public health or employs a registered dietitian, registered nurse, physician’s assistant, nurse practitioner, physician, psychologist, psychiatrist or a social worker with a master’s degree;
  • The program instructor has appropriate training and experience and consults with a professional practicing in a field directly related to the program topic;
  • The program provides each participant with the opportunity to evaluate program content and the instructors;
  • The fees are to be paid by the participant on a per-session or per-course basis; and
  • The organization has an accepted current wellness services provider application on file with the claim administrator as of the date fees are to be paid by the participant.

Wellness Classes and Programs

• Subject to the participant annual maximum benefit limit, official name] will pay benefits at 90% of the fees charged for the following programs sponsored by a covered organization as described above:
  • Accident prevention and safety skills education classes;
  • Healthy back education classes, including back pain prevention classes;
  • Biofeedback education classes;
  • Hypertension screening and treatment education classes;
  • Nutrition and/or diet instruction including weight control and management classes, including necessary laboratory charges as part of the program, not including any food items or diet supplements;
  • Educational classes for alcohol and drug misuse/abuse training and/or understanding;
  • Parenting skills education classes (does not include prenatal, Lamaze or birthing education or training);
  • Stress management educational classes;
  • Smoking cessation programs;
  • Classes for wellness concepts; and
  • Classes and assessment of lifestyle health risk factors including initial evaluations for admittance to an exercise program.

 

• Subject to the participant annual maximum benefit limit, [officialname] will pay benefits at 60% of the fees charged for the following programs sponsored by a covered organization as defined above:
  • Any continuous three month or more frequent membership fees for aerobic fitness conditioning programs of a qualified fitness facility, health club, or other covered organization as defined above, including court fees, circuit weight training and weight lifting that enhances aerobic training (does not include swimming lessons, initiation fees, tanning fees or sauna fees and similar charges);
  • CPR classes and instruction on first aid (does not include instructor training courses); and
  • Prenatal classes, Lamaze classes, and birthing instruction courses.
• Subject to the participant annual maximum benefit limit, [officialname] will pay benefits at 30% of the fees charged for the following programs sponsored by a covered organization as defined above:
  • Biomechanical assessment which includes flexibility, body and muscle strength and/or% body fat measurements;
  • Relaxation skills and techniques educational classes;
  • Retirement planning and educational classes; and
  • Time management instruction and educational classes.

If you or your spouse who is a participant is eligible to receive payment for a fee under more than one of the above paragraphs, [officialname] will pay only the benefit for that program which provides the higher payment to you or your spouse who is a participant.

[officialname] will pay benefits for charges incurred by you and your spouse who is a participant, from the facility currently contracted by us to provide this service and associated with the completion of the personal health risk assessment. You (or your spouse) will be required to provide authorization before completing the assessment.

The completed forms will be submitted to the facility at the address provided on the form. Confidential return of the evaluation will be direct to you or your spouse who is a participant. [officialname] does not receive any individually identifiable health information. [officialname] does not require you to complete a health risk assessment.

Rejuvenating Chiropractic can provide plan participants with a health and wellness newsletter on a regular basis, as well as periodic pamphlets and brochures on health and wellness topics.

VISIT OUR DALLAS CHIROPRACTIC OFFICE 

We also recommend visiting us here at Rejuvenating Chiropractic, PLLC or contacting us at our health and wellness center to discuss ways in which we can implement a plan to improve the health of your employees.

VISIT OUR DENTON CHIROPRACTIC OFFICE 

If you live in the North Texas Region, visit our Denton Chiropractic office for all of your deep tissue massage therapy and chiropractic needs. We are happy to assist you by providing you with a complimentary analysis of any health concerns that you may have.