Small businesses get a break in bill

Some Colorado employees who quit cigarettes, start exercising or take other steps to improve their health might soon be eligible to get a break on their health insurance, thanks to a bill that passed unanimously in the Colorado Legislature on Monday.

Such opportunities were already available for employees at large companies that provide their own insurance plans, said William Lindsay, president of Lockton Benefit Group-Denver. But smaller businesses that can't provide their plans operated under a different set of laws that may have made such incentive programs illegal.

The bill awaiting Gov. Bill Ritter's approval, HB1012, clears up confusion and gives the same insurance break to those small businesses, which represent about 40 percent of Colorado's insured population.

"I hope this provides some measure of relief for small business and their premiums," said Rep. Amy Stephens, R-Colorado Springs, a sponsor of the bill.

The concept works like this: An employer signs up for an insurance product offered by its provider that contains financial incentives for employees who agree to preventive or wellness efforts. In theory, the employer saves money in insurance claims as its work force becomes healthier, and the employee can get money back for taking steps to be healthier.

Lindsay said there are no numbers on how much money such programs are saving, or how effective they are in improving health outcomes.

Even so, it was one of the recommendations made by the Blue Ribbon Commission for Health Care Reform 2007, which Lindsay chaired. With obesity and diabetes on the rise, prevention and wellness have become popular talking points in health care reform.

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