DALLAS, Jan. 30, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- While the EEOC is working in earnest to develop rules and guidelines for voluntary employer wellness programs, consumers overwhelmingly want their employers to offer incentives and rewards to help them manage and improve their health.  The results were revealed in a January 2015 HealthMine™ survey of 562 consumers with company-sponsored health plans.  The survey was fielded by Survey Sampling International (SSI) from January 29-30, 2015. 

Employees Who Improve Health Want a Carrot
The survey indicated that 71% of consumers desire help from their companies in the form of programs and guidelines for health management. Moreover, more than 75% of respondents believe an incentive level would motivate them to take action to improve their health towards personal goals or needs. Additionally, 67% of survey respondents believe that colleagues who are in a healthy weight range should be rewarded with a discount on their health insurance.  And, 52% believe that colleagues who adhere to medication for chronic disease should be rewarded for it.

But Unhealthy Colleagues Should Get the Stick
Further, the results show that consumers feel that co-workers who do not effectively manage their health, or who engage in unhealthy behaviors, should be penalized. For example, 63% believe that colleagues who smoke tobacco should pay more for their healthcare.   

Said Bryce Williams, president and CEO of HealthMine, "While the EEOC seeks fair rules and guidelines for voluntary employer wellness programs, our survey indicates that consumers want employers to offer incentives and rewards to help them manage their health.  Our eight years of experience helping employers improve outcomes and lower costs using incentive-based personal clinical engagement reinforces this direction. We believe that the EEOC recommendations should enthusiastically support employers in meaningfully encouraging employees to improve their health."

About the Survey
The HealthMine Wellness Engagement Survey data were collected via an opt-in panel from Survey Sampling International. The margin of error is 4%. Survey Sampling International (SSI) has been the Worldwide Leader in Survey Sampling and Data Collection Solutions, across every mode, for 37 Years.

About HealthMine
HealthMine, a leading consumer health engagement company, has developed the wellness industry's first and only Personal Clinical Engagement (PCE) technology platform. HealthMine PCE automatically connects comprehensive clinical data with tailored recommendations, resources and incentives to create a personalized health portal available on any mobile device. HealthMine has more than one million users today, and has saved employers and payers more than $100 million in healthcare costs. The company, founded in 2008, is based in Dallas, Texas with offices in San Francisco, New York and Minneapolis.

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SOURCE HealthMine