Eating five a day for better health insurance

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Andy Pushchak now goes for walks at lunch instead of sitting at his desk.

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He and his family get their flu shots, and they make sure to eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day.

As a result, Pushchak saved about $1,750 on his health-insurance premiums this year.

"It's a good deal, especially for someone with a family," said Pushchak, a Greene Township resident who has a wife and three young daughters with a fourth child on the way.

Pushchak, program head for educational leadership at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, is one of 665 university employees who take part in a workplace incentive program.

People who enroll in these voluntary programs and participate in healthy activities, such as getting a flu shot or exercising a certain amount of time each week, earn cash incentives or reductions in their premiums.

It's a growing trend, said Jennifer Grana, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield's director for preventive services. Nearly 400 employers offered Highmark incentive programs in 2009 and about 165,000 people participated in them.

"Probably 10 percent of all of our members offer these programs, but when you look at the employers with 51 employees or more, that percentage increases to 40 to 50 percent," Grana said. "It's becoming more and more popular every year."

Health insurers offer these programs because they reduce medical costs by keeping people healthier. Employers like them because they can reduce monthly premiums.

Edinboro University employees can belong to one of two incentive programs, one offered by Highmark and another offered through the Pennsylvania Employees Benefit Trust Fund.

Pushchak and his family participate in Highmark's Healthy U program. He and his wife, Laura, signed a pledge to be healthy and took a wellness profile that included questions about their height, weight, cholesterol and blood pressure.

In 2009-10, employees were required to earn at least 70 points to qualify for reduced premiums. They earned points by choosing and taking part in certain Highmark-approved activities and programs.

"If they work out, they get points for that," said Linda Harrison, Edinboro University's manager of employee benefits. "They get points for a flu shot or for a preventive medical exam, like a physical."

Pushchak enrolled this spring in "Color Your Plate," a six-week online course that educates families about the importance of eating a lot of colorful fruits and vegetables.

"Our family already does a good job with fruits and vegetables, but this allowed us to get into it even more," Pushchak said. "We tried orange and yellow peppers, and eggplant. The girls liked them."

Pushchak realized how much of an impact the course had on his family when they went out to eat at a local restaurant.

"The waitress asked if my 5-year-old daughter, Ave, wanted french fries with her meal," Pushchak said. "She said she wanted broccoli instead. I asked why and she said, 'We have to color our plates, Dada.'"

Both Pushchak and his wife earned enough points to qualify for the reduced premium. They will pay 15 percent of their monthly premiums in 2010-11 instead of 25 percent, the percentage nonparticipants pay.

Instead of reduced premiums, Meadville city employees can earn cash for participating in their workplace incentive program.

If they pledge to be healthy, do the online profile, take part in at least two Highmark-approved programs and fill out a survey, they earn $125 a year, said Barb Hall, Meadville's human resources manager.

"It's made a difference," Hall said. "Some people have told me that it has helped them lose weight, and others have said they no longer have to take their cholesterol or diabetes medicine."

But some Edinboro University employees consider the voluntary program as simply one more thing they are being forced to do, Harrison said.

"With any change, you're bound to get some negative comments," Harrison said. "But I've heard a lot of positive things about it, too."

Pushchak said Healthy U has helped him and his family pay better attention to their health.

"It's really worked," Pushchak said. "We're more conscious about eating five servings of fruit and vegetables each day, and I feel more health conscious."

DAVID BRUCE can be reached at 870-1736 or by e-mail.