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Employers Can Follow with Similar Workplace Wellness Programs

    CHAPEL HILL, N.C., Feb. 21, 2007 Blue Cross and Blue Shield
of North Carolina (BCBSNC) is 700 pounds lighter after just 10 weeks of an
employee fitness challenge. The state's largest health insurer delivered
big results with two workplace wellness programs in 2006 aimed at helping
its employees become more aware of their health in an effort to change
behaviors and stem the tide of rising health care costs.
    BCBSNC offered a health-screening program designed to help employees
identify, understand and manage key potential health risks that turned out
throngs of BCBSNC employees, with participation at more than 85 percent.
And Blue Challenge(SM) delivered its biggest impact in three years running,
with total pounds lost for all 213 participants totaling nearly 700.
    "If it wasn't for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina
providing these kinds of benefits, I would have continued to be a couch
potato," said BCBSNC employee Carolina Morales. "I knew I needed to do
something, but I couldn't find the motivators. Then I thought that if Blue
Cross was taking the time and giving me all these resources - if they were
willing to commit, then why shouldn't I be?"
    For hereditary and lifestyle reasons, Morales was at high risk for
developing diabetes and heart disease. She wasn't exercising at all and
wasn't watching what she ate. As a result of the screening, Morales is
getting involved with other BCBSNC wellness programs and getting fit.
    Blue Challenge(SM) also motivated employees to take action - and
control of their health. Team members had their weight, Body Mass Index and
body fat analysis conducted as a benchmark. Teams of two completed
customized cardiovascular and strength training exercises as well as weekly
challenges focused on nutrition and daily lifestyle adjustments.
    "One of our main objectives with the challenge was to empower employees
and educate them on how they measure up," President and CEO Bob Greczyn
said. "Once employees know what they need to work on, they can begin to do
something about it. We are giving employees the tools they need to make a
difference in their lives. We hope other companies are inspired to start
similar programs for their employees."
    According to the numbers, Blue Challenge(SM) succeeded. Average weight
loss for participating employees was more than three pounds per person. On
average, each participant lost 1.5 percent body fat. Incentives were built
into the program to reward all participants. For some, it was the life-
changing wake-up call they needed.
    "It changed my way of thinking and living," said Shannon Bethea, a
BCBSNC employee with a history of high blood pressure and obesity, who also
suffered from sleep apnea and chronic back pain. "It brought up aspects I
had never thought about to incorporate into my daily routine. It made me
feel great."
    Bethea joined the challenge because it encouraged her to focus on an
exercise program and motivated her to stick with it. She's now 27 pounds
lighter and experiencing fewer medical problems.
    The health screenings were open to all employees as a quick, easy, free
and confidential service. Employees had their blood glucose level,
cholesterol, Body Mass Index, waist measurement and blood pressure tested.
Their results pinpointed areas that needed improvement, and high-risk
employees were encouraged to follow up with an onsite nurse practitioner.
BCBSNC provided a $480 credit toward their 2007 medical plan premiums as an
incentive for employees who were also BCBSNC members to participate.
    The screenings proved to be helpful with an overwhelming 85 percent
employee participation rate, and 60 percent of survey respondents saying
they learned something new about their health. Of those respondents, 75
percent said they took action to get healthier, based on their results.
    "As an employer, we are focused on creating a culture of wellness,"
Greczyn said. "The environment at our workplace is something we can
control. We want to reduce the barriers people face and, instead, offer a
variety of choices that make it easy to achieve a healthy and active
lifestyle during work hours and beyond."
    The health screenings and Blue Challenge(SM) are just two of the many
strategies BCBSNC has employed to promote workplace wellness and lower
health care costs - including serving healthy dining options at the company
cafeterias and in vending machines, instituting a tobacco-free campus at
all locations, implementing a Weight Watchers at Work subsidy and offering
on-site employee fitness centers.
    Employers can easily adopt programs like these for their own workplace,
by utilizing BCBSNC's three-step approach. The first step is to create
awareness about health risks by holding employees accountable and
personally responsible. The second step is to look at the work environment
and create policies that support fitness and help employees make healthy
choices. The third step is to offer incentives to encourage participation
in programs.
    According to North Carolina Prevention Partners, the estimated annual
cost per employee of unhealthy nutrition, inactivity and tobacco use in NC
is on average $5,000 per year. At least a quarter of medical costs are for
conditions that are largely preventable. BCBSNC has embraced the employee
wellness programs as a way to reduce employer health care cost trends, and
encourages other companies to do the same. Investing in employees' health
is a company-wide initiative that enhances employee satisfaction, increases
productivity, reduces absenteeism and positively impacts recruitment and
retention.
    About BCBSNC:
    Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina is a leader in delivering
innovative health care products, services and information to more than 3.4
million members, including approximately 748,000 served on behalf of other
Blue Plans. For 73 years, the company has served its customers by offering
health insurance at a competitive price and has served the people of North
Carolina through support of community organizations, programs and events
that promote good health. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina is
an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
Access BCBSNC online at http://www.bcbsnc.com.

Independence Blue Cross Waives Copayments for
Generic Drugs Through March 31, 2007
Members who switch from brand name to generics can save up to $40 a month
                               for each drug

    PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 4/2007 /PRNewswire/ -- Most Independence Blue Cross
members will pay nothing for new prescriptions or refills for covered
generics filled at participating retail pharmacies or by mail order from
January 1 through March 31, 2007. The goal of the promotion, called No Pay
Copay, is to help members understand how the appropriate long-term use of
generics can save them money while providing the same health benefits as
brand name drugs. No Pay Copay is the first promotion of its kind in the
Philadelphia region.
    "Prescription drugs continue to be among the fastest rising costs for
our employer customers and our members. That is why we are focusing on ways
to reduce the rate of increase of medical costs as part of our overall
strategy to provide access to high-quality, affordable care," said Joseph
A. Frick, president and CEO of Independence Blue Cross. "Our No Pay Copay
program provides immediate savings relief by lowering out-of-pocket costs
for members, helping them afford the medications they need, and educating
them that generics can be safe, effective and less expensive alternatives
to brand name drugs.
    "We anticipate that this innovative program will encourage our members
who take brand name drugs to talk to their physicians about switching to
less expensive generics," said Frick. "We believe once people make the
change to generics, they will keep using them and lower their long-term
drug expenses."
    During the first quarter of 2007, copayments or coinsurance will
automatically be waived when an eligible Independence Blue Cross (IBC)
member who has IBC drug coverage presents a generic drug prescription and
member ID card at one of the approximately 56,000 participating IBC network
pharmacies. Copays or coinsurance for members who already take generic
medications or who switch to generics will also be waived until March 31.
For IBC members, the average monthly out-of-pocket savings for switching
from a brand drug to an appropriate generic is $5 to $40, depending on the
member's plan. However, during the No Pay Copay promotional period, members
will pay nothing for generic prescriptions, saving even more.
    Prescription drug costs are one of the fastest growing components of
U.S. health care expenditures, accounting for $188.5 billion in 2004,
according to a June 2006 report from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Last
year, generics became available for several blockbuster drugs whose patents
expired, including those for treating high cholesterol, insomnia,
depression, and digestive disorders, and additional generics are expected
in 2007.
    "Generic drugs provide the same therapeutic benefits as their brand
name counterparts and meet the same rigorous health and safety standards
set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)," said Dr. I. Steven
Udvarhelyi, IBC's senior vice president and chief medical officer. "We will
continue to cover a broad array of FDA-approved brand and generic drugs so
our members have lots of choice through our drug benefit.
    "However, because brand name drugs are significantly more expensive
than generic alternatives, our list of approved drugs - or formulary -
reflects this difference so that members pay more in copays and coinsurance
for brand drugs than for generics," said Udvarhelyi. "We want to provide an
incentive for our members to use generics when appropriate."
    In addition, as part of a broader approach to managing prescription
drug benefits announced in October
http://www.ibx.com/news_events/press_releases
/2006/2006_10_02.html IBC
will update its formulary quarterly, rather than twice a year, so members,
physicians and pharmacists are notified sooner when a less costly generic
drug is available.
    Generics: Safe, cost-effective alternatives to brand drugs
    Indistinguishable in composition and quality to their brand name
counterparts, generic drugs may be used interchangeably with brand name
drugs to treat the identical health conditions. Generics, however, have
significantly lower development and marketing costs than brand drugs and,
as a result, often cost a fraction of their brand name equivalents.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, generic drugs save consumers
an estimated $8 to $10 billion a year at retail pharmacies with no
sacrifice in quality or effectiveness.
    A pharmacist may dispense a generic equivalent for drugs that have both
a brand and generic version available, unless a physician has prescribed a
specific brand name drug to be dispensed as written. A member who wants to
try a generic can ask his or her doctor to consider writing a prescription
for a drug with a generic equivalent, when appropriate. However, some drugs
within a therapeutic class (for example, cholesterol lowering drugs) do not
have a generic equivalent.
    Most members with IBC pharmacy benefits are eligible for the generic
copay/coinsurance waiver. Not eligible for this program are members with
Medicare Part D drug plans or integrated prescription drug coverage such as
Major Medical, Comprehensive Major Medical (CMM) and Personal Choice(R)
HSA- Qualified, and Keystone Health Plan East HMO members who belong to the
Federal Employee Health Benefits Program.
    Members can get more information about generic drugs by visiting IBC's
website at:
http://www.ibx.com/health_plans/supplemental/prescription_drug
/generic_drug
s.h tml.
    About Independence Blue Cross
    Independence Blue Cross is the leading health insurer in southeastern
Pennsylvania. Nationwide, IBC and its affiliates provide coverage to nearly
3.4 million people. For nearly 70 years, Independence Blue Cross has
offered quality health care products and services tailored to meet the
changing needs of members, employers, groups, and providers.
    Independence Blue Cross's HMO and PPO health care plans recently
received the highest ratings from the National Committee for Quality
Assurance. In addition, in 2005, Independence Blue Cross's Personal Choice
was rated the No. 1 PPO in the nation and its Keystone Health Plan East HMO
plan was ranked the No. 1 HMO in the region by health care consumers in a
leading independent consumer magazine.
    Independence Blue Cross and Keystone Health Plan East are independent
licensees of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association are the national trade organizations that link 35 independently owned regional health insurance companies in the US(including Puerto Rico) and Canada. Being in Chicago, Illinois, it was formed in the 1982 merger of the Blue Cross Association and the National Association of Blue Shield Plans.

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