Iowa Farm Bureau And Wellmark Blue Cross And Blue Shield Of Iowa Launch One-On-One Wellness Coaching Program To Individual Policyholders

February 12, 2008

DES MOINES - The Iowa Farm Bureau and Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa have joined forces to bring a statewide, comprehensive wellness program to individual policyholders at a personal and local level. The program provides professional health coaches and a range of health care resources designed to help improve the health and well-being of Farm Bureau members who have purchased their Wellmark health insurance through Farm Bureau agents. Healthier members will also help reduce long-term health care costs.

The innovative pilot program differentiates the Wellmark health plans offered through Farm Bureau insurance agents and is poised to become a national model for a holistic approach to wellness services within communities for the individual market. 

More than 350 Iowa Farm Bureau agents provide Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield health insurance to approximately 45,000 adults in Iowa's 99 counties. The dedicated professional health coaches will consult one-on-one with these Farm Bureau members and will coordinate health screenings and provide local educational opportunities on relevant health issues. These policyholders have the added advantage of their plans' preventive services benefits to spend each year on physicals, and on screenings and tests designed to prevent illness or diagnose diseases at early stages. 

"Our underlying motivation is that we want our members to be as healthy as possible to be able to live rich and fulfilling lives. We've found that having a health sciences expert guide and monitor people helps them change their habits and prevent or manage an illness," said David Lyons, Farm Bureau's Chief Business Development Officer. "That's clearly the unique aspect of our program, and why Farm Bureau and Wellmark have made a long-term commitment by investing in what we believe will be the most effective methods to improve the health of our members. And over time, we think it's the best way to impact the rising cost of health care everyone is talking about."

Wellmark has contracted with a leading research expert, D.W. Edington, Ph.D., Director of the University of Michigan Health Management Research Center, to establish scientific-based metrics to measure the success of the program. "The creative collaboration of Wellmark and Farm Bureau has resulted in a groundbreaking approach to comprehensive health care at a personal level, where it will make the most impact," he said. "Their combined strength and investment in time and resources speaks volumes about their concern for the well-being of their members."

At the same time, Wellmark is launching Whole Health DimensionsSM, a spectrum of new resources and tools that allow Wellmark members to complete a personal health assessment online and participate in interactive behavior change programs to help make lifestyle changes and improve their health. Whole Health Dimensions also includes 24/7 phone consulting with medical professionals, chronic health condition management, pregnancy care and complex case management programs.

The program for Farm Bureau members also provides resources to support the health coaches as they engage members to develop goals and actions to improve their health. Seven coaches will work on a regional basis. Policyholders will be introduced to their health coaches and will be encouraged to complete a personal health assessment and discuss the results with their coach or their doctor. Based on the outcomes, individuals can work one-on-one with the health coaches to understand their risk factors and set goals to improve their health status. 

Jill Norris, Director of Lifestyle Management at Wellmark said, "This added dimension of making professional health coaches available locally through our collaboration with Farm Bureau elevates us to first-in-the-nation status by taking wellness closer to the individual policyholder. It simply makes it easier for people to understand their own specific health conditions and to develop a plan to prevent or manage illness."

About Wellmark, Inc.
Wellmark, Inc. (www.wellmark.com) does business as Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa. Wellmark and its subsidiaries and affiliated companies, including Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Dakota and Wellmark Health Plan of Iowa, Inc., insure or pay health benefit claims for more than two million members in Iowa and South Dakota. Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa, Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Dakota, and Wellmark Health Plan of Iowa, Inc. are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.