To: All Eligible Medical Plan Participants Hired on or Before September 1, 2013.
Dear Faculty and Staff;
Good news! As we did last year, we will continue to offer “free” biometric screenings at Taylor Health and Wellness Center. These screenings will include:
- Cholesterol Panel (Total Cholesterol, HDL, LDL, Triglycerides)
- Blood Sugar Level
- Body Mass Index (BMI)
- Blood Pressure
Each of these measures contributes directly to the total and long-range health of an individual. When these measures are maintained within established clinical ranges, optimal health can be achieved and chronic disease and illness can be prevented and/or controlled, ultimately equating to improved population health and healthcare affordability. Health care costs continue to rise nationally, and there is increasing pressure on our self-funded Health Plan to control costs. For these reasons, Missouri State University continues to remain active in the pursuit of improving health and wellness on our campus.
Since we began offering the biometrics and the Health Risk Assessment (HRA), several serious high risk conditions have been identified among your colleagues, e.g. dangerously elevated high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol. These conditions have been found to lead to serious health problems. If left untreated these conditions/risk factors could have been debilitating if not deadly. Being aware of their results allowed participants to take necessary actions to minimize risk of complications and avoid hospitalizations.
As in previous years, MSU is offering an opportunity through participation in the Biometric and Health Risk Assessment (HRA) project to defray the $30 per month ($360/year) that employees are charged for their health insurance premiums. MSU has again contracted directly with Wellsource, a national wellness company that has successfully operated for 30 years, to provide the HRA. The HRA tool which is confidential, will contain your biometric measurements and questions pertaining to tobacco use. Biometric measurements or a qualifying physician statement must be obtained before taking the HRA assessment. The HRA with Biometrics will result in defraying $20/month on health insurance premiums for 2014. As part of the HRA assessment, your response to tobacco usage question(s) will determine whether you save an additional $10/month toward your health insurance premiums for 2014. Tobacco users who begin a tobacco cessation program by December 31, 2013, will not incur the $10/month health insurance premium in 2014. Taylor Health offers a tobacco cessation program at no cost.
Taylor Health and Wellness will be providing free biometric screenings on the Springfield campus Monday, September 16, through Friday, September 27. Biometric screenings will be conducted at the Mountain Grove campus on Tuesday, October 1, and on the West Plains campus on Wednesday, October 2. You can register online for biometric screening though My Learning Connection. If you have had a cholesterol panel and blood sugar screening from November 1, 2012, onward, you have the option of using those results.
Similar to last year, you will have four options in order to complete the first of this two part process to defray your costs:
1. You may obtain a new set of biometrics at no cost from Taylor Health during the free biometric screenings being offered there.
2. You may fill out and turn in a Release form allowing Taylor Health to pull your information from a visit at Taylor Health dated anytime from November 1, 2012, to present.
3. You have the option of obtaining a signed copy of your biometrics performed since November 1, 2012, from your personal physician.
4. You may obtain a signed statement from your personal physician on their letterhead, stating that you have been seen by them sometime since November 1, 2012. This does not need to include any health information.
New or previous biometric measurements and/or the physician statement must be completed and received by Taylor Health by 5:00 PM on Thursday, October 10, in order to have access to the HRA tool. The results of your biometrics, if you provided them, will be available in your HRA report upon completion of the HRA tool. Please use this link to obtain the waiver form to be used.
After the participant’s data has been uploaded using a unique identifier not related to name or Bear Pass number, the HRA tool will be open for participation beginning in mid-October. You will receive several reminders that you’re eligible to participate in this year’s HRA when the tool opens.
The Biometric measurements and HRA are for all medical plan eligible participants hired on or before September 1, 2013. Employee dependents are not eligible for this wellness incentive at this time. Premium deductions for 2014 will begin in December 2013. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call Sheila Bowen at 417-836-4064 or Julie Dubinsky at 417-836-4571.