Wellness Provision in Health Care Bill Meets Protest

WASHINGTON -- Incentives within the U.S. Senate health care bill designed to encourage healthy lifestyles unfairly target the poor, elderly, overweight and disabled, and could be exploited by insurance companies for financial gain, advocacy groups claim.

Dozens of health, justice, and disability organizations have signed a letter urging senators to remove a provision in the

that would allow insurers to provide reimbursements or incentives to workers who meet certain fitness goals laid out in workplace wellness programs.

In rewarding healthy people for making good choices, those who don"t

would be unfairly penalized, the groups said.

"It"s indistinguishable from medical underwriting," Sue Nelson, vice president for federal advocacy of the American Heart Association (AHA), told reporters during a Thursday call.

"This is a loophole that insurance companies will drive right through on day one," added Andrew Kurz, former chief financial officer of Wisconsin Blue Cross-Blue Shield. "This can lead to huge differences in premiums."

Under the existing Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, group health insurance plans can"t discriminate based on an individual"s health status by varying insurance premiums.

But the law does allow insurers to provide incentives tied to voluntary "wellness programs," either solely for participating in a workplace wellness program, or for meeting certain health and fitness benchmarks, such as reaching a certain body mass index target.

Those incentives can take the form of extra reimbursements, but they can"t top more than 20 percent of the employer"s cost of covering the employee.

The Senate bill would raise that figure to 30 percent, so an individual who doesn"t meet the wellness goals could hypothetically be paying up to $1,410 more in annual premiums than an employee who met wellness goals.

The amount could be raised to 50 percent, with government approval. People with medical conditions that preclude participation would be offered an alternative program, the bill says.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez Sweating Over Gerrard and Torres Fitness

Published on January 13, 2010 filed under middot; January 13, 2010 -- January 13, 2010 -- January 13, 2010 --

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez faces an anxious wait on the fitness of duo Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard who will both have scans after picking up injuries during the FA Cup defeat to Reading on Wednesday.

Both players will have a scan tomorrow (Thursday) and we have to wait for the doctor, Benitez told his post-match press conference.

Gerrard has a problem with his hamstring and Torres twisted his knee.

Yossi Benayoun also has some problems with hisВribs so again we will have to wait.

Reflecting on the cup defeat, the boss added: It was a really bad result. Everybody wanted to progress in the FA Cup and now we cant and are really disappointed.

The team worked very hard. There were a lot of things I didnt like on the pitch but you cannot change the result. Its better not to say too much on this.

They had some chances and we had chances. They took their chances. They did well but we could win too.

It was difficult to take as we were in the 92nd minute and winning the game. Everything then changed.

We started the second half better with more control of the game but after this we were making some mistakes and they had chances.

We know this is a massive competition and we wanted to progress. We are really disappointed. I am disappointed for the fans because they came out and supported us as always, but we couldnt win for them.

We played a strong team and we tried to win the game. Sometimes you dont play as well as you can and sometimes the other team plays well.

Asked about how he continues to cope with the pressure, Benitez said: This has been the same for the last three months. Everybody has been talking about me but I will keep working hard with my team.

As a manager you have to be disappointed because we couldnt progress, but now we need to think about the next game against Stoke.

From the beginning of the season we have been a little bit frustrated but we have to carry on. When you are in the race you need to keep going.

Sometimes you have bad moments and sometimes you have good moments. We have to be ready for the next game and just be focused on football.

January 13, 2010 -- January 13, 2010 -- January 13, 2010 -- Topics: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Fitness at the right price: Gyms offer discounts

If you renew your membership after the first 30 days on schedule that fee drops to $35. Or if you pay for three months up front, your payment would be $109 (about $36 per month). Your next installment would drop down to $90 ($30 per month). "I don"t run free offers just to fill the air. We really try and get people who are sincere about training," the owner said about his 4,500-square-foot facility. All Sport Fishkill Health and Fitness Center does have many frills. It features a 15,000-square-foot fitness center with indoor and outdoor pools. A basic one-year membership is $14 per week. Basic month-to-month memberships are $16 per week. That includes use of indoor facilities, group exercise classes, indoor pool, basketball court and racquetball courts. A full access membership is $18 per week, month-to-month. There is up to an $89 "entry fee" depending on the type of membership. "January is our kickoff to the healthy fitness season so we always offer specials for the new year," said Kim Baumann, All Sport"s membership director. "I wouldn"t say any season is cheaper than another. You can always catch a special. " Joyce Kutner, All Sport"s general manager, said New Year"s resolutions help fitness centers. "Our usage goes up. Not only are more people walking in the door, people not using their memberships have woken up," she said. The health club chain Planet Fitness, with locations in Poughkeepsie and Wappingers Falls regularly offers promotions. It"s latest was for a basic $10 monthly membership, $1 start-up fee, plus $29 annual fee. The deal expired Friday. New rates or promotions weren"t available before deadline. Mike Arteaga"s Health Fitness Center in Poughkeepsie breaks out its prices by every other week. A two-year contract is $17, a one-year contract is $24 and a one-month commitment is $29. There is a $10 start-up fee. Some of the amenities include: A cardio cinema room with big screen movies as you exercise; about 135 machines in the cardiovascular areas; a pool, saunas and steam room; and sport courts. Crush Fitness in LaGrange is advertising a $29. 99 per month membership on its Web site plus a $59. 99 enrollment fee. In an e-mail, Rebecca Simpson wrote: "I work out at Crush Fitness in the Town of Lagrange . At $30 a month it is the least expensive gym in the area. Pete who works the desk in the morning, knows most patrons by name and is very pleasant. Crush is the evolution of the "cheap" gym and the all-amenities gym. " The biggest way to waste your fitness dollars is to believe that body transformations happen overnight, fitness instructors advise. Carol Stracher, aerobics director at IXL Health and Fitness Club, said, "Everyone is coming back to the gym with their resolutions . They want to get fit and want to get fit fast, but that"s the biggest misconception. Fitness has to be a part of your everyday life. ".