Ty Cobb Healthcare System and Covenant Administrators Raise the Bar for Employee Wellness

Like most self-insured organizations, Georgia-based Ty Cobb Healthcare System strives to provide the best possible coverage to its employees, while holding down benefit costs. Through a strategic partnership with Covenant Administrators and Ty Cobb’s broker, Skelton Morris Associates, the healthcare system developed an employee wellness plan, which gives employees the ability to earn five $500 credits for maintaining healthy lifestyles. These credits are used to offset a 2008 increase in health plan deductibles from $500 to $2,500.

“Using one of our Covenant Applied Savings Techniques (BeniComp Advantage), we were able to help Ty Cobb Healthcare System continue to offer excellent plan coverage to employees, without incurring the typical annual rate increase of 15 to 20 percent,” said James F. Ballew, president and CEO of Covenant Services Group. While this innovative approach reduces the cost of health care, it also embraces a larger philosophy that focuses on wellness and health care outcomes – starting with employees.

In June 2007, Ty Cobb’s employees were screened for diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure, smoking and body mass index. In addition to their scores, employees also received free resources to help with necessary improvements. A final screening in December 2007 found that 85 percent of employees earned at least four of the five credits. Many were eligible for all five.

Based on the success of this program, these free resources were made available to residents and businesses in the community. They are also part of Ty Cobb’s broader commitment of “going back to basics” to transform its business model for providing regionalized health care.