Kane County eyes wellness program to slash health care costs

Kane County officials are looking to trim some budget fat by cutting actual fat from county employees.

With an expected budget crunch looming in the coming fiscal year, county officials have frozen staff levels, halted raises and even notified some employees they'd be laid off. Now they're coming for their candy bars by creating an employee wellness program.

The move is a proactive attempt to stave off dramatic health care cost increases for county employees in recent years. Health claims per employee per month rose by $35 from 2004 to 2005, jumped another $37 per employee from 2005 to 2006 and then an additional $64 per employee from 2006 to 2007. Those are increases that are more than double the rate of inflation.

In 2007, the county paid about $681 per month per employee and is set to crack $700 per month if the trend continues.

Employee participation in existing wellness programs has not been stellar to date. Only 20 percent of all employees had a physical exam in 2007. Only 30 percent of eligible employees received a routine mammogram.

Despite that, recent input from employees indicates a willingness to take a shot at living healthier lifestyles, thereby lowering the overall cost to the county for their health care needs. The vast majority of employees recently said they'd participate in physical exams, blood tests, health screenings and health club memberships if they were offered to them by the county.

Perhaps even more telling is a running "Biggest Loser"-style competition between the health department staff and the Visiting Nurses Association of Fox Valley. For the past five weeks or so the two staffs have been battled to lose the most pounds before the holiday season hits. The staffs created the competition all on their own, without prompting by elected officials.

Now, elected officials are set to put their stamp of approval on those plans and other wellness issues. Kane County Board members will hear more about the plan and potential cost savings at the executive committee meeting today.