Here’s more evidence that health promotion programs pay for themselves –

Over the last two years, one organization in five has seen significant improvement in employees’ health status – and started to stabilize their costs – as reported by one study.

Among firms noting improvement, nearly two-thirds (64%) feature health promotion programs offering incentives for healthier lifestyles.

Here are three twists on traditional incentives that’re getting good results –

1. Health coach outreach

Many firms require workers to work with an individual wellness coach in order to get a discount on monthly premiums or earn cash incentives.

The most common set-up –  on a regular basis, the employee must set up appointments with and report to (either over the phone or face to face) his or her wellness Coach.

But experience has shown there’s often a high dropout rate.

People  get off to a excellent start – and they’re enthusiastic about the incentive – but once they realize there’s some effort involved, they lose interest.

The good news –  Firms have found a simple-to-arrange alternative that keeps  individuals  on the right track. Rather than requiring employees to contact the health Coach, a growing number of organizations require participants to take calls from the health Coach.

Potential result –  Fewer folks fall off the wagon. There’s no outreach effort involved, and the wellness coach keeps people  accountable.

2. Nutritional education/therapy

A newer – and cost-effective – feature in the battle against worker obesity –  offering an worker nutrition-education program administered by a professional nutritionist.

Just 11% of organizations – 18%  of large businesss and 7.5% of small to medium ones – have such programs, according to SHRM’s most recent benefits survey.

Even fewer offer (via their EAPs) nutritional therapy for individuals  with consuming disorders. But available data on these programs shows they ordinarily pay for themselves.

The stronger the firm’s emphasis on teaching healthy eating, the faster and more dramatic the reduction in major health claims.

Common plan features –  lunch and learns featuring healthy food options, giving out nutrition-linked gift cards and extending obesity-prevention incentives to people ‘s family members.

3. Aggressive use of tobacco cessation

A small, but quickly growing number of employers are taking more assertive measures to avoid the costs associated with employees who smoke.

The step may be broken down into three levels of aggressiveness and potential risk/reward.

Level one –  the employer installs a health promotion program in which non-smoking workers and those who commit to maintaining a healthful weight receive financial incentives that lower their share of monthly premiums.

Level two –  the business disqualifies job candidates who smoke from hiring consideration. Alternatively, some firms require health risks assessments as a condition of being hired.

Level three –  the employer docks pay or fires workers who fail to control their lifestyle-related health risks.

Example –  Clarian Health made news last fall for sending notice to employees that as of Jan. 1,  2009, individuals  who smoke or chew tobacco would begin be charged $5 per paycheck.

Are these strategies legal? at level one, the answer is a qualified yes. HIPAAs non-discrimination rules permit such incentives within limits.

In a nutshell, it’s legal to reward staff members who quit use of tobacco but illegal to punish those who attempt and fail. When an employee tries but fails to quit use of tobacco, you’re still legally obligated to give them another shot next year.

Also keep in mindthat, by law, the size of the reward or penalty under your health promotion program can’t exceed 20% of the sum cost of coverage.

At levels two and three, it remains to be seen if such policies would hold up in court. Proceed with caution.