Senate Bill 14-15-12
| Bill ID: | 14-15-12 |
| Name: | Wellness Program Communication Memo |
| Proposed: | 11/03/2014 |
| Sponsor: | Staff Affairs Committee |
| Proposal: | A new Wellness Program is being established and implemented by the State in 2015 as part of the State Employee and Retiree Health Benefits Plan. The Wellness Program is designed to provide significant incentives for participants, and it will apply to all employees and retirees, and spouses, enrolled in a health benefits plan at the University of Maryland. Each participant will be asked to complete a set of Healthy Activities, and individuals with chronic health conditions identified for disease management services will be asked to participate in a Disease Management Program. There are many goals and benefits of the program, but if participants do not comply with their Healthy Activities (or disease management program, if appropriate), they will be penalized with annual surcharges, as summarized below: -2015: No surcharges -2016: $50 per person, per year, for failure to complete Health Activities -2017 forward: $75 per person, per year, for failing to complete Healthy Activities -2017: $250 per person, per year, for failure to participate actively in a Disease Management Program -2018: $375 per person, per year, for failure to participate actively in a Disease Management Program The Staff Affairs Committee has discussed the Wellness Program at length. Throughout the committee's discussions on this topic, a key topic has continued to arise: the importance of establishing a well-developed, broad-based communication plan for employees and retirees regarding the details of the Wellness Program and its expectations. The committee feels strongly that the University must commit itself to ensuring that information about the new program will continue to be shared with employees and retirees, including new employees, in a clear manner over the next several years. |
| Active? | No |
Status
| Status: | Completed |
| Completed On: | 11/19/2014 |
History
| Status: | Complete |
| Reviewer: | Senate Executive Committee (SEC) |
| Received: | 2015-03-17 |
| Decision Date: | 2015-03-24 |
| Decision: | The SEC accepted the memo from UHR and forwarded the memo to the Staff Affairs Committee for its information. |
| Actions: | The SEC reviewed the Wellness Program Communication Plan from University Human Resources (UHR). |
| Related Files: |
| Status: | Complete |
| Reviewer: | University Human Resources (UHR) |
| Received: | 2014-11-19 |
| Decision Date: | 2015-03-12 |
| Decision: | To send a communication plan to the SEC. |
| Actions: | University Human Resources (UHR) received the letter and memo from the SEC. |
| Next Step: | SEC Review |
| Related Files: |
| Status: | Complete |
| Reviewer: | Senate Executive Committee (SEC) |
| Received: | 2014-11-10 |
| Decision Date: | 2014-11-17 |
| Decision: | To forward the memo to University Human Resources (UHR). |
| Actions: | The SEC reviewed the Staff Affairs Committee's memo and agreed that this is a complex topic that calls for continual communication with all employees during the next several years of its implementation. The SEC also noted that this is a larger issue than one for the University to resolve, as the SEC is aware of similar concerns from other system institutions, as well. Therefore, SEC decided to send a letter to University Human Resources (UHR), with the committee's memo as an attachment, asking that UHR bring it forward to the University System of Maryland's HR group, so that USM can have a larger conversation about how information should be shared with employees at all institutions. The SEC decided to also request that the system-level HR group reach out to the State for more details and for better tools for publicizing this new program. |
| Next Step: | UHR and USM Review |
| Related Files: |
| Status: | Complete |
| Reviewer: | Staff Affairs Committee |
| Received: | 2014-09-19 |
| Decision Date: | 2014-10-28 |
| Decision: | To send a memo to the SEC for consideration. |
| Actions: | Following discussion of the upcoming Wellness Program, the committee decided to put forward a memo to the Senate Executive Committee (SEC) with suggestions for ongoing communication regarding the new Wellness Program (to be implemented by the State in 2015). The memo will be primarily focused on concerns about communication with employees regarding the program and its potential benefits/penalties. The memo is intended to be processed as advice from the committee to the Vice President for Administration & Finance and the Director of University Human Resources (UHR). |
| Next Step: | SEC Review |