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Cash registers should reward healthy lifestyle

03/11/2014

People who live health-consciously and take advantage of offers to promote health should in future be rewarded by their health insurance companies. This is according to a press report from a bill out.

„Financial incentives for health-conscious behavior“
People who live healthily should be rewarded by their health insurance in the future. This emerges from the draft bill for the new Prevention Act, as in the Monday edition of the appearing in Dusseldorf „Rheinische Post“ (RP) is reported. The bill in the RP states: „Each health insurance company is thus usually obliged to provide bonuses in their statutes as financial incentives for the health-conscious behavior of their insured persons.“ The previous Kann- thus become a mandatory target determination.

Bonuses for employers and insured
Both employers and insured persons should receive bonuses for the use of company health promotion programs. The law wants to start prevention much earlier than before. The newspaper quotes from the reason for the amendment: „A disease-oriented medical health examination, which is primarily geared to the leadership of an already occurred disease, falls short.“ As far as workplace health promotion is concerned, numerous experts have criticized in recent months. So also the professor for personnel and organization, Nele count, which spoke in April to the news agency dpa of it, that although offers are discussed, but a strategic planning is missing.

Cash registers should pay for education
The provision, according to which the health insurance companies should in the future pay 35 million euros to the Federal Center for Health Education, meets with the coffers on criticism. „Nationwide poster campaigns, glossy brochures and admonitions or prevention offers based on the watering can principle often bypass the demand“, said AOK Bundesverbandschef Jürgen Graalmann the sheet. It would be more effective if based on regional specifics „tailor-made prevention solutions“ being found. Graalmann said: „In addition to occupational health management, special attention must be paid to socially disadvantaged and stressed groups.“ (Ad)