To your health: a look at the major health plans in Indiana.

• Author: Held, Shari
• Position: HEALTH PLANS

INDIANA STILL HAS A large population of "working uninsured" and a disproportionate number of obese adults and smokers. Additionally, low Medicare/Medicaid reimbursement rates, advances in medical technology and new "miracle" drugs also contribute to increased health costs.

"Indianapolis is more costly than a city like Chicago," says Dan Krajnovich, CEO of United HealthCare Indiana. "Depending on which list you look at, Indiana ranks anywhere from ninth to 20th in the highest-cost states across the country. That is a trend that we need to reverse."

Many health insurance providers and employers are coming up with innovative solutions to make their offerings more attractive and affordable and upgrade Indiana's tarnished image.

"One way for employers to cut costs is to select a health plan provider who is willing to sit down with them on a periodic basis to review where their costs are and what the drivers are for those costs," says Vicky Perry, president and CEO of Indianapolis-based Advantage Health Solutions. "Don't pick a benefit plan from a company that is just going to give you a face-to-face once a year when it brings the renewal. There are a lot of complexities to health care and a lot of complexities as to how a particular employer population uses those benefits. The more dialogue, the better."

Welborn Health Plans, Evansville, is well aware of the power of partnering, and now includes wellness and prevention programs in the base cost of its health plans. "We want to get out of the mold of being viewed by employers as a health insurance company," says Welborn CEO Chris Reef. "I want them to look at us more as their health partner. We can really invest in initiatives with companies when we have three or four years to work on programs together." Reef says one new trend he is seeing is that some employers are going toward quarterly health assessments and offering employees incentives for health improvements.

Sally Stephens, president and CEO of Indianapolis-based Spectrum Health Systems, says Spectrum was "way ahead of the market" when it began offering wellness programs 10 years ago. "We are seeing a dramatic increase in companies incorporating wellness programs into employee benefits. Return on investment is now well-documented. Employers know it directly impacts their bottom line. We are seeing a 3:1 ratio--$3 saved for every $1 invested as well as significant risk reduction."

The most popular wellness programs are onsite health...