Despite backlashes against health screenings in corporate wellness programs, many Americans are open to a trade-off if it saves them money, though not necessarily lifestyle changes.
Many Americans are willing to share health conditions and be screened for a variety of conditions and diseases in exchange for a financial incentive like lower monthly premiums, according to a Harris Interactive-Health Day survey.
In a poll of 2,000 American adults, only 30 percent said they have been asked to complete a questionnaire-based health risk assessment for their plan, but 85 percent said they would be amenable to completing one in the future.
Among the minority that indicated they would not be willing to take a health risk assessment, almost half reconsidered the option if participation saved them money. Just under 50 percent said they would agree to a take an HRA if it meant their premiums would be reduced by $200 per year.
Among those willing to take an HRA from the get-go, their openness to specific testing varied. Almost 75 percent said they're interested in taking blood pressure and body mass index screenings and two thirds said they'll take blood sugar and cholesterol tests and blood tests checking for tobacco use. Forty-nine percent were willing to take a genetic tests to measure their "risk of cancer or inherited medical conditions."
Based on this survey, though, many Americans are still leery of attempts by their employer or health plan to take the next step -- trying to improve their health by way of food and exercise.
Only half of those polled said they'd be willing to participate in a health plan-directed activity program to control their weight and blood sugar -- two important risk factors for cardiovascular disease -- even if they already have diabetes. Only 38 percent said they would follow a specific diet to help lower their blood pressure or cholesterol.
Perhaps most discouraging: only 28 percent said they'd be willing to attend classes or online sessions with other people who are overweight or diabetic.
On one hand, the survey might suggest that many Americans with the classic cardiovascular disease and diabetes risk factors don't want to make the changes necessary to improve their health -- that they don't understand the implications of eating poorly and being overweight and inactive, or are resigned to live with their conditions and their risks. On the other hand, they may be open to change but just don't want an insurance company, for many a work-based health plan, being the one to instigate it.
Either way, the fact that so many are willing to at least share their health risks with their health plans suggests that insurers can make some engagement inroads in prevention, lifestyle interventions and chronic condition management.
"This survey shows that there is a substantial opportunity for health plans to test and monitor the health status and health risk behaviors of members," said Harris Poll chairman Humphrey Taylor in a media release.
Still, health plans should "be extremely careful to avoid a potentially explosive backlash," Taylor said.
So far the wellness backlash has not been explosive, at least on a macro-level; there are still pockets of resistance and skepticism. And as more employers take advantage of the wellness opportunities in the Affordable Care Act and tie health risk assessment participation to premium discounts, some significant legal ambiguities remain when it comes to the question of how much is too much.