Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network controls premium increases with wellness program and consumerism

Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network coordinates organ and tissue donation, works with donor families and provides public education on donations in Illinois and northwest Indiana. With a history of investing heavily in the health and well-being of its employees, Gift of Hope wanted to better understand the health risks of its employees in the organization. In addition, the leadership also wanted to introduce High Deductible Health Plans (HDHP) to its employees. HDHPs are beneficial to organizations because they promote healthcare consumerism and align individual financial interests with that of the health plan. In order to make this an attractive option to their employees, they wanted to offer a strong incentive for individuals to consider the HDHP option.

MMA suggested unique wellness strategies to help empower individuals to take a larger role in monitoring their well-being. Gift of Hope’s leadership team opted to fund employees’ Health Savings Accounts (HSA) well above benchmarks to drive HDHP enrollment. They ensured the incentives were compelling so that employees would be hard-pressed to forego HDHP coverage. The team also implemented biometric screenings in 2017 to provide insights for both the employer and employee. They found ways to invest in its benefits programs, expanding their wellness program and retirement savings plan while keeping medical costs in check. This resulted in increased medical plan participation and higher overall satisfaction.

Gift of Hope’s dedication to the wellness of its employees enabled the organization to establish a more holistic health profile of its employee population. They reduced the severity of large claims while raising awareness. They saw an 80% increase in screening participation since the inception of the program. Furthermore, they reduced unnecessary utilization through wellness education initiatives to better manage program trends.