BILL REQ. #:  S-2241.1 

READ FIRST TIME 03/02/05.   

     AN ACT Relating to developing a worksite health promotion program among state agencies; adding a new section to chapter 41.05 RCW; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature finds:
     (1) As an employer, the state incurs significant costs due to the poor health of some of its employees. Costs come in the form of increased health care premiums, lower productivity of employees, and higher absenteeism.
     (2) Lifestyle choices contribute to health status and health care costs, and employees have control over their level of physical activity, diet, alcohol and drug use, and whether they smoke.
     (3) Employer promotion of self-care and consumer engagement in health care decision making, by providing appropriate information and motivation, can improve consumer utilization of services, encourage employees to seek preventive care and health interventions with demonstrated efficacy, and discourage the use of high-cost alternatives when equally effective low-cost alternatives are available.
     (4) Employers cannot rely on health plans alone to address the lifestyle and consumer demand issues of the health care consumer. Employers have a unique opportunity with direct and frequent access to employees to structure environments and policies that are more compelling with regard to behavior change.
     (5) The health benefits of worksite health promotion programs can include increased physical activity, improved nutrition and eating habits, reduced rates of obesity, lower stress and associated conditions, decreased rates of smoking, reductions in other health risks, increased self-management of chronic conditions and compliance with care regimens, improved health outcomes, and decreased costs for family members of employees.
     (6) The financial benefits of worksite health promotion programs can include decreased absenteeism, reduction in medical costs, improved productivity, and improved employee satisfaction and loyalty leading to increased retention and short-term disability savings.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 41.05 RCW to read as follows:
     The health care authority shall create a worksite health promotion program to develop and implement initiatives designed to promote improved self-care and engagement in health care decision making among state employees at state agency worksites. The program shall:
     (1) Identify, in coordination with the department of personnel, the department of health, health plans participating in public employees' benefit board programs, and the University of Washington's center for health promotion, worksite health promotion programs and activities that are known to be effective. The coordination shall take advantage of available knowledge and expertise and ensure a strong link between this program and the department of health's nutrition and physical activity program;
     (2) Determine the health promotion strategies that would be most effective for state employees and compatible with existing health promotion efforts of health plans participating in the public employees' benefits board programs;
     (3) Implement strategies identified in subsection (1) of this section and provide support to individual agencies as they develop agency specific programming targeting the particularities of that agency's work force and environment;
     (4) Establish performance measurements and facilitate data collection to enable an assessment of the impact of health management and promotion programming at state agencies;
     (5) Report to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the legislature and the governor by December 1, 2006, on progress in implementing strategies and evaluating the results of the worksite health promotion programs.