BCN launches Healthy Blue Living Rewards to improve overall health

Introducing Healthy Blue Living Rewards, an extension of Blue Care Network's successful Healthy Blue Living product. This new product is an innovative outcome-based HMO health care plan that takes personal accountability to the next level by lowering insurance costs for people who succeed in improving their health and thereby making health care more affordable.

"We are truly excited to introduce Healthy Blue Living Rewards because this is a product the business community is demanding, and BCN is once again first to market with an innovative and affordable solution," said Kevin Klobucar, president and CEO, Blue Care Network. "Healthy Blue Living has done extremely well in the market with more than 850 employers and 114,000 members making it their product of choice, and we believe Healthy Blue Living Rewards moves this product to the next level and capitalizes on the successes we've had to date."

What makes Healthy Blue Living Rewards different from Healthy Blue Living and other products in the marketplace? This product is the second outcome-based wellness product launched by the Blues this year, with Healthy Blue Outcomes being the other product we released earlier this spring. These two outcome-based products are unique in Michigan and are among the first such products to be offered anywhere in the country. While Healthy Blue Living members are rewarded for committing to working toward certain health measures, Healthy Blue Living Rewards members and families are further rewarded for actually meeting the health measures. Healthy Blue Living Rewards follows the same criteria as Healthy Blue Living but adds even more flexibility by offering three benefit levels for individuals who are at different stages of achieving their wellness goals.

The ultimate goal of Healthy Blue Living Rewards is to improve the health of our members, thus building a healthier workforce overall. This is achieved by looking at specific health measures individuals can manage.

• Tobacco use
• Weight (Body Mass Index)
• Blood pressure
• Cholesterol
• Blood sugar
• Depression

These measures are chosen because they have a huge impact on health care costs and the likelihood that an individual will develop a chronic or disabling condition such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes or obesity.

Through participation in a wellness screening and health assessment, Healthy Blue Living Rewards members are educated on their greatest lifestyle risk factors. By including the financial reward of a lower cost share benefit plan, this product encourages members to address those factors and improve their health. There are a number of free tools and resources available to educate members and help them achieve their health goals, including BlueHealthConnection®, Quit the Nic! (tobacco cessation program), BCN-sponsored weight management programs, 24-hour health coaching and industry leading personalized online tools.

This product became available to groups on July 1, 2010 with an October 1, 2010 effective date and is being offered to groups of two or more employees.

SOURCE Blue Care Network