Health Connector’s 15% wellness rebate program now open to even more small businesses
BOSTON—February 6, 2013—The Patrick-Murray Administration has taken another step in its commitment to promoting health and wellness by opening up the Health Connector’s free Wellness Track rebate program to all small businesses (excluding sole proprietorships) that purchase health insurance plans for up to 25 employees through the Health Connector.
“When we launched health care reform in Massachusetts, one of our fundamental goals was to promote the overall health and wellness of the residents of the Commonwealth,” said Glen Shor, Secretary of Administration and Finance. “These changes help us further that goal.”
New regulations published by the Connector eliminate previous employee salary caps, include the employer’s share of health insurance costs for owners and family member employees when calculating the rebate, and make the rebate available for up to three years for participating businesses. Wellness Track offers an up to 15% rebate on the employer’s share of employee health insurance premiums.
“By expanding eligibility for the wellness program, the Health Connector is supporting a key goal of the Commonwealth to provide small businesses with the tools to encourage their employees to adopt healthier lifestyles,” said Jean Yang, executive director, Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority. “Supporting wellness at work not only benefits the health and well-being of the individual employee, but also leads to a more productive, healthier workforce.”
To qualify for a rebate, employers must promote a healthy work environment by implementing their choice of three wellness toolkits: nutrition, physical activity or stress management. The stress management toolkit includes smoking cessation resources. Each toolkit includes wellness activities (e.g., walking programs, healthy eating plans, time management worksheets), resource lists and flyers for distribution to employees.
In addition, for the first time, employers will choose among reward options to incentivize employee participation. Employees will qualify for these rewards upon completion of a routine preventive care visit or a confidential online health risk assessment and fulfillment of activities outlined in their company’s chosen toolkit.
The Health Connector offers small business owners a wide range of affordable, quality small group insurance plans through its Business Express program. To learn more about Business Express and the Wellness Track rebate program, small business owners can visit MAhealthconnector.org or call 1-888-813-9220 Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Persons who are hearing or speech impaired may call the Health Connector’s TTY line at 1-888-213-8163. Anyone interested in Business Express and Wellness Track may also call their broker for information.
About the Massachusetts Health Connector
Established in 2006, the Massachusetts Health Connector helps Massachusetts residents find affordable, quality health insurance. More than 400,000 Massachusetts residents have gained health coverage since the Commonwealth’s historic enactment of health care reform, and nearly 240,000 obtain health insurance through the Massachusetts Health Connector. Massachusetts leads the nation in the percentage of residents with health insurance, with more than 98 percent of people covered.
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