U.S. Rep. Chris Carney says that a local program that gives workers a financial incentive to stay healthy could serve as a national model.
Carney discussed issues in an interview Friday with staff from The Daily Review. In the interview Carney also said he was very troubled over the current situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and discussed his views on the financial future of the Social Security program and ways that the No Child Left Behind Act needs to be improved.
Health care
To address the high cost of health insurance, Carney said the federal government needs to get involved in programs designed to prevent poor health.
The plant reduces its employees’ payments toward their heath insurance premiums if they meet any of six different measures of health, such as if they stop smoking, keep their blood pressure in a normal range and have a normal body-mass index, Carney said.
If they meet one of the measures, they’ll see in their paycheck a $7 reduction in the amount they pay toward their health insurance premiums, and if they meet all six, their health insurance premiums are reduced by $42 per pay period, he said.
As a result of the Procter & Gamble program, “productivity at the plant has increased, sick days have dramatically decreased, and employees are actually competing with each other to get healthier,” Carney said.
“I think the Procter & Gamble program is a way ahead (a way forward) for health care,” Carney said.
An emphasis on preventative health programs would also save taxpayers large amounts of money, because taxpayers currently have to pay the bills of people who lack health insurance and are treated at emergency rooms in hospitals when they become very sick, he said.
Daily Review
Carney discussed issues in an interview Friday with staff from The Daily Review. In the interview Carney also said he was very troubled over the current situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and discussed his views on the financial future of the Social Security program and ways that the No Child Left Behind Act needs to be improved.
Health care
To address the high cost of health insurance, Carney said the federal government needs to get involved in programs designed to prevent poor health.
Carney said a successful preventative program at Procter & Gamble’s Mehoopany plant could serve as a model for what could be done nationally.
The plant reduces its employees’ payments toward their heath insurance premiums if they meet any of six different measures of health, such as if they stop smoking, keep their blood pressure in a normal range and have a normal body-mass index, Carney said.
If they meet one of the measures, they’ll see in their paycheck a $7 reduction in the amount they pay toward their health insurance premiums, and if they meet all six, their health insurance premiums are reduced by $42 per pay period, he said.
As a result of the Procter & Gamble program, “productivity at the plant has increased, sick days have dramatically decreased, and employees are actually competing with each other to get healthier,” Carney said.
“I think the Procter & Gamble program is a way ahead (a way forward) for health care,” Carney said.
An emphasis on preventative health programs would also save taxpayers large amounts of money, because taxpayers currently have to pay the bills of people who lack health insurance and are treated at emergency rooms in hospitals when they become very sick, he said.
Daily Review
