» News
Chicago Pushing ‘Wellness’ Program on Its Employees
(CNSNews.com) – Sign up or pay up. The City of Chicago is urging its employees and their eligible spouses to join the city’s “innovative wellness program,” or else pay an additional $50 a month for their health care plan.
“Our program will change lives, make our workforce healthier, and save taxpayers money,” Mayor Rahm Emanuel said on Thursday. “It will only work if people join, and I’m so pleased to report that we’ve had well over 22,000 employees or spouses join the program.”
Emanuel noted that another 25,000 have not yet let the city know if they plan to join; and so far, 54 employees or spouses have refused.
Chicago Lives Healthy provides free annual health screenings, physical and mental health checkups, call-ins, and “wellness activities” for employees. The city calls it the largest municipal wellness program in the world.
The first step, the sign-up period, runs through Aug. 31. Starting on Sept. 10, employees will begin their free biometric screenings (including blood work), which can be scheduled during work hours at Walgreens outlets or at a doctor’s office.
The third step is a “Well-Being Assessment” – described as “a confidential questionnaire that assesses life and environmental factors that are critical to your health, well-being and your ability to improve both.” The assessment consists of 60 questions “to get a better sense of factors that can’t be tested.” Those factors include one’s health history, mental health, stress, and “barriers to change.”
Starting in mid-October, participants will receive a “check-in call” from a disease-management company; and “wellness activities” – tailored to an individual’s needs — must be performed every month, starting Nov. 1.
Xavier
August 25th, 2012
Looks like Snow Crash was prophetic in more ways than one, eh? Remember the Fed’s Insurance/Health Plans?
Corona
August 25th, 2012
……….Jesus Christ…
Nutjob
August 25th, 2012
Wonder if 1 of the 60 questions will be.
Have you ever capped a neighbor?
Do you own an illegal gun?
How often do you use drugs?
Is selling drugs your only income?
Do you belong to a union?
Good thing the wellbeing of the city is his priority over dictating and controlling someone elses daily life.
Dr. Tar
August 25th, 2012
So what about Americans with Disabilities Act?
What if you can’t participate because of your disability but the city still has to employ you?
Plain Jane
August 25th, 2012
Chicago motto: Stay healthy so you can be healthy when you are one of the 19 shot in 18 hours.
Unneutral
August 25th, 2012
The pride of their curriculum is a 45 min briefing on how to dodge bullets in an active setting.
RosalindJ
August 25th, 2012
“Starting in mid-October, participants will receive a “check-in call” from a disease-management company; and “wellness activities” – tailored to an individual’s needs — must be performed every month, starting Nov. 1.”
BTDT. A company I once worked for had their insurance package that had this in place, with the carrot/stick of a discount. All you had to do was agree to be intruded upon for your best interest. I signed on for giggles (I knew I was leaving within a quarter) and wound up rejecting the repeated admonishments to stop this or start that for the greater good.
The one change I note about this is the mandatory complete-15-assignments per month, with online tracking. In 20 years or less, it’ll be voluntary RFD insertion. Absolutely Orwellian, the whole thing.
norman einstein
August 25th, 2012
@Rosalind, in the PDF at the website, I found this:
“COMPLETE ANY ONE PER MONTH
On-site/Telephonic Wellness Events:
• Enroll in optional Health Coaching Calls
• Complete an on-site challenge
• Complete a Health Check-In Call
• Attend an on-site educational seminar
• Attend a group exercise class
• Attend a health education presentation”
This is not only coercion, it is a joke!
Attending a seminar is going to make you healthy?
Sounds like just a giant cash-grab to me.
Mrs. Compton
August 25th, 2012
Mr C and I just signed up with a concierge doctor. Part of the program is a wellness assessment. Sooooo, other than being forced to do this by their employer, they’re getting off pretty damn cheap!
Nutjob
August 25th, 2012
Starting in mid-October, participants will receive a “check-in call” from a disease-management company; and “wellness activities” – tailored to an individual’s needs — must be performed every month, starting Nov. 1.
What if you’ve been shot and can’t get to the phone?
karl r
August 25th, 2012
“participants will receive a “check-in call” from a disease-management company; and “wellness activities”
kinda sounds like shitcagos street-level czarships, donut?
talk about your basic demmorrhoid retard campaign strategy – we can expect the fking RINOs to make absolutely BIGTIME NOTHING out of THIS stupid DEATH PANEL loss of Freedom
Czar of Defenestration
August 25th, 2012
It’s *not* a PENALTY…it’s a TAX!!!
Billy Fuster
August 25th, 2012
Who cares what happens to government employees. They deserve worse than this.
obfusecatenot
August 25th, 2012
Dear Chicago employees, move to Iraq it’s better for your health.
jwm
August 25th, 2012
Our biometric indicators have detected traces of alcohol, and nicotine in your blood test.
Furthermore, your hair sample indicates that fourteen months ago you used marijuana.
You are currently seven pounds over your ideal target weight, and your cholesterol levels are close to the legal maximum.
Your total At-Risk metric is twelve points over your healthy lifestyle target.
Because of these findings you are now on Health Watch Probation. You have been assigned to case worker Jones/Higgins who will work with you to resolve these issues in a timely fashion. Please be aware that your continued employment will be contingent on realizing the goals set forth in Ms. Jones/Higgins program.
Please report to the Health Services office, Monday, 11/10/15, at 7:45 am, Room 104B.
4600 Main Street.
Downtown, right across from the DMV.
Have a healthy day.
JWM
Buffalobob
August 25th, 2012
Does obama or Valerie Jarrett have friends or relatives in the Chicago area who operate a health care wellness business? Just a question. Oh and was this a no bid contract?
karen stevens
August 25th, 2012
soo… the 54 REFUSENIKS… are they republicans or the “not in our name” types – soon to be reeducated in a very small coat closet???
excuse me
August 25th, 2012
@ Buffalobob
well arnCHU the investigative reporter diggin up the facts?
see, journ-O-lists, you can learn from anybody
NoMoBo
August 25th, 2012
The company I work for has been doing this for two years. You get a $260 per year “discount” if you go through all the testing and pledge to “get healthier.” Each year you are retested to see if your metrics improve, and if not, you do not get the discount.
RosalindJ
August 25th, 2012
Well done, @ jwm.
It’s not a tax, a penalty or a cash-grab. It’s a control-grab.
Trixie Bluebell
August 25th, 2012
They’d be better off teaching their employees how to duck when the bullets start flying.
sig94
August 25th, 2012
Does the City health plan include prescriptions for soft body armor and lead poisoning?
Drifting Too Far
August 25th, 2012
Chicago is the birthplace of extortion in the U.S.A. It is woven deeply into their core beliefs.
Mark Zist
August 25th, 2012
It sounds good. But then so does the “affordable care act”
My2Cents
August 25th, 2012
My company started doing this – so far, it’s on a voluntary basis. I guess the response has not been so great, as they’ve started issuing gift cards to encourage participation. I will never complete their very invasive questionnaire. I’ll go buy my own damn policy. Nunya!
Major Mal function
August 25th, 2012
Is a lifetime membership at Man’s Country a part of Rahm’s “Wellness” program?
Major Mal function
August 25th, 2012
Wonder if 1 of the 60 questions will be.
I bet it won’t include, “Do you engage in dangerous homosexual activity that facilitate the spread of HIV, gonorrhea, syphilis, herpes, etc..?”
IronyCurtain
August 25th, 2012
Next, they’ll partner with Progressive Insurance and install that little Eco-Snitch device in your car to keep track of everything you do.
Major Mal function
August 25th, 2012
Call the “wellness Coordinator” at 2AM to discuss the positive health benefits of a booty call.
Xavier
August 25th, 2012
@NoMoBo
Interesting, because a some point, you just can’t get any healthier – and then your metrics don’t improve – which allows them to renege on the discount.
So it’s damned if you do, and damned if you don’t.
3 Bean soup
August 25th, 2012
If you want to stay healthy, stay away from food additives, water additives, and especially doctors and the drugs that they pedal.
Friend of the family
August 25th, 2012
See how they slip it in?
First, city employees. Then State employees. Once that happens, insurance companies get clout to enforce it on the public statewide. Next Obamcare backed enforcement nationwide.
@RosalindJ and Norman and whoever else KNOWS the chip is coming.
This is it. You’re right about the RFID chip. Mark of Beast. It’s coming. Ain’t nobody, nowhere gonna make me take anything like that. I’ll die first. They’ll be happy to kill my ass anyway, I’ll cost to much under Obamacare.
DizzyMissLiz
August 26th, 2012
I don’t like the way they ask all of the questions, but I am all for higher premiums for smokers and those who are overweight.