<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.5730.11" name=GENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD align=left width=420><A href="http://online.wsj.com/home"><IMG
height=56 alt="The Wall Street Journal"
src="http://online.wsj.com/img/printformat_logo.gif" width=418
border=0></A> </TD>
<TD style="WHITE-SPACE: nowrap" align=right> <A
href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;15359957;6853491;b?http://copiers.toshiba.com/index.shtml"
target=_new></A> </TD>
<TD width=10 rowSpan=2><IMG height=1 alt=""
src="http://online.wsj.com/img/b.gif" width=10 border=0></TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD align=middle width=418 height=12><!-- ----- Date starts here ----- -->
<P
style="MARGIN-TOP: 7px; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 15px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: times new roman,times,arial">January
14, 2007 </P><!-- ----- Date ends here ----- --></TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD width=630 colSpan=4 height=23></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- ----- Header Table Ends Here ----- --><!-- ----- Article Title and Author Table Starts Here ----- -->
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="97%" border=0>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD width=20 rowSpan=2><IMG height=1 alt=""
src="http://online.wsj.com/img/b.gif" width=20 border=0></TD>
<TD>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD class=boldPumpkinSixteen vAlign=center align=left
colSpan=3></TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD height=8></TD>
<TD align=right height=8></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD><!-- ID: SB116873509929276405.djm --><!-- LEVEL: normal --><!-- TYPE: Health --><!-- DISPLAY-NAME: --><!-- PUBLICATION: "The Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition" --><!-- DATE: 2007-01-14 00:01 --><!-- COPY: Dow Jones & Company, Inc. --><!-- ORIG-ID: --><!-- article start --><!--
CODE=SUBJECT SYMBOL=OSUN
CODE=INDUSTRY SYMBOL=DHC
-->
<H1 class=articleTitle style="MARGIN: 0px"><I><SPAN
class=ArtFlashline>Health Costs</SPAN></I><BR>Help for a Healthier
You</H1>
<DIV
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; FONT: bold 12px times new roman,times,serif; PADDING-TOP: 12px; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"><SPAN
id=byl
style="FONT: bold 12px times new roman,times,serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal">By
<B>JILIAN MINCER</B><BR><SPAN class=aTime>January 14,
2007</SPAN></SPAN><BR></DIV>
<P class=times>If you've made health-related New Year's resolutions, your
employer or health insurer may help pick up the tab.</P>
<P class=times>Many now offer free or subsidized programs to encourage
people to improve their health and fitness -- ranging from free
smoking-cessation programs and discounted gym memberships to reduced-cost
spa gift certificates and on-site weight-loss programs.</P>
<P class=times>"A number of years ago, it was considered a nice thing [for
companies] to do, rather than something that needed to be done," says Tom
Billet, a senior consultant at human-resources adviser Watson Wyatt
Worldwide. But now businesses and insurance companies "are really trying
to improve the health status of their populations."</P>
<P class=times>The reason -- healthier individuals cost the companies less
money, in an era when health-care costs keep rising.</P>
<P class=times><FONT color=#0000ff size=4><STRONG>"Seventy percent of
medical costs are due to lifestyle factors," says Linda Cushman, senior
health-care strategist with Hewitt Associates, a human-resources
consulting
firm.</STRONG></FONT></P><REPRINTSDISCLAIMER></REPRINTSDISCLAIMER>
<P class=times><FONT color=#0000ff size=4><STRONG>An estimated 91% of
diabetes cases, 80% to 90% of heart attacks, and 30% to 70% of cancers are
preventable through lifestyle changes, according to the Wellness Councils
of America, a nonprofit group.</STRONG></FONT> And considering that
diabetes, for example, costs the U.S. an estimated $98 billion a year,
according to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse, there's a
huge benefit to preventing these conditions.</P>
<P class=b13><B>A Stealth Benefit?</B></P>
<P class=times>Still, while more and more companies are offering programs
to boost wellness, many "do a lousy job of promoting these offerings,"
says Ms. Cushman of Hewitt Associates. She suggests checking employer and
insurer Web sites as well as asking your firm's human resources
department.</P>
<P class=times>Businesses want to help employees lose weight or stop
smoking before they develop diabetes or heart disease. Many insurance
companies start with printed and Web-based materials, but they try to keep
workers motivated with "health coaches" available online and over the
phone. About 40% of businesses surveyed by Watson Wyatt offer personal
health coaches or health advocates.</P>
<P class=b13><B>Help to Quit Smoking</B></P>
<P class=times>One of the most popular services is free or discounted
smoking-cessation programs. In one example, the new Aetna Quit Tobacco
program is a one-year program that provides personal coaching and support
from tobacco-cessation specialists.</P>
<P class=times>Among other things, participants receive up to four
motivational coaching sessions a month. They also get a six-week supply of
nicotine patches, lozenges or gum.</P>
<P class=times>Weight-loss assistance can include free advice from
dieticians and weight-loss specialists. Many companies offer discounts for
Weight Watchers or other weight-loss programs. Some encourage
participation with on-site meetings and subsidized fees. They're even
organizing weight-loss teams, which compete for cash and gifts.</P>
<P class=times>Aetna offers eligible members discounts on the Jenny Craig
weight-loss program and products, including a free 30-day trial membership
and discounts on six-month and one-year programs.</P>
<P class=times>When it comes to exercise, 66% of employers provide fitness
centers or subsidized health-club memberships, Watson Wyatt says. Mr.
Billet says he has seen discounts of 30% or more for memberships.</P>
<P class=times>Insurance-company Web sites also have lots of articles on
exercise and weight loss, including sample menus and exercise routines.
Some offer discounts on massage therapy, yoga mats and even spa gift
certificates.</P>
<P class=times>Meanwhile, if you are funding a health flexible spending
account at work, you can use those pretax dollars to pay for some
health-improvement efforts that aren't covered by your insurance. You can
generally use those accounts for stop-smoking programs and, if considered
medically necessary, for weight-loss programs. However, you can't use
flexible-spending dollars to pay for gym memberships.</P>
<P class=times><B>Write to </B>Jilian Mincer at <A class=times
href="mailto:jilian.mincer@dowjones.com">jilian.mincer@dowjones.com</A><SUP>1</SUP></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></DIV></BODY></HTML>