Health-conscious workers may get break, Sims says
By Keith Ervin, Seattle Times staff reporter
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
King County and its labor unions are close to signing an "unprecedented" agreement that would reduce some health-care payments for employees who adopt healthier lifestyles, County Executive Ron Sims said yesterday.
That news came during Sims' upbeat "state of the county" address to the Metropolitan King County Council in which he also outlined plans to buy more land for trails and open space, initiate regional water-supply planning and bring wireless Internet connections to Metro buses and elsewhere.
Sims, who is running for re-election, yesterday activated the "advisory" stage of the county's drought-response plan, telling property and vehicle-fleet managers to immediately begin using less water.
When the county last used the drought plan in 2001, it saved more than 19 million gallons of water by cutting back on watering plants and washing vehicles.
The health-care-cost agreement being negotiated with unions initially would reduce medical co-payments for employees who go in for annual physical exams and follow their doctors' advice.
"Our employees will be provided with incentives to exercise, eat well and actively manage their health," Sims said.
Kurt Triplett, Sims' chief of staff, said King County also is looking into other incentives for better health, such as possibly paying for smoking-cessation programs and allowing for-profit exercise and weight-control programs in county buildings.
The county's rapidly rising health-care costs led Sims to convene a Health Advisory Task Force last year. The task force led to the creation of the Puget Sound Health Alliance, a partnership of employers and health providers that is exploring ways of improving employee health and reducing insurance premiums.