Tom Cooper: Why no word from STRS or Medical Mutual on Weight Watchers?

From Tom Cooper, February 12, 2007
Subject: med-mut/WW
Can anyone tell me why we retirees who are still on Medical Mutual have not received anything from STRS or Medical Mutual concerning Weight Watchers? Medical Mutual has announced they will reimburse the cost of Weight Watchers for those who are enrolled in Medical Mutual HC programs.

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Insurer to pay for weight-loss efforts

Medical Mutual offers money to members who join Weight Watchers
Cleveland Plain Dealer
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Harlan Spector
Plain Dealer Reporter

If Atkins didn't pay off for you, here's something that might.

Medical Mutual of Ohio will pay its members up to $150 a year to weigh in at Weight Watchers meetings, regardless of whether they shed pounds.

The offer to Medical Mutual's 1.6 million members comes as more insurers and businesses dangle financial incentives to nudge people to get healthier.

The money, in this case, will subsidize the cost of joining the popular weight-loss program.

"This is another adjunct of what we're trying to do to get the message out to change lifestyles," said Mary Wnek, manager of clinical quality improvement.

The insurer in 2005 also began paying for nicotine replacement patches for members who sign up for counseling with the Ohio Tobacco Quit Line.

A number of health plans reward members who join fitness clubs, said Susan Pisano of America's Health Insurance Plans, a 1,200-member organization. Offers like Medical Mutual's "are on the leading edge," she said.

"We have an epidemic of chronic disease in the country," she said. "You have to come at it from a variety of perspectives, and providing incentives is one."

Last week, West Virginia's largest Medicaid provider, UniCare, announced that it would pay for up to 16 weeks of courses from Weight Watchers. UniCare's parent company said it might expand the program to 14 states where it provides benefits, including Ohio.

Tennessee's Medicaid agency, TennCare, completed a pilot program last year for 1,400 Medicaid recipients who paid nominal fees to participate in Weight Watchers. They lost a combined total of more than 8,000 pounds over six months.

The government says two-thirds of U.S. adults are overweight or obese. Excess weight drives up the risk of coronary heart disease, diabetes, stroke and some cancers.

Estimates vary on medical costs associated with obesity, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put the number at $75 billion in 2003.

Mark Pauly, professor of health care systems, business and public policy at Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania, said the Medical Mutual program will pay off down the road if enough members lose weight.

"The real question is will the incentive be enough to get people to use Weight Watchers who otherwise wouldn't, and then whether the intervention is effective," Pauly said.

Medical Mutual will pay $50 to members who complete a 13-week plan that costs $142. Reimbursement is $75 for an 18-week plan that costs $168. The maximum annual payout is $150.

Members can call 866-204-2878 to enroll and must attend local Weight Watchers meetings.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: hspector@plaind.com, 216-999-4543