The Well Wisconsin Program is a voluntary wellness program offered by the State of Wisconsin Group Health Insurance Program and is available to the primary subscriber and their enrolled spouse. When you participate in the Group Health Insurance Program, you are also enrolled in but are not required to participate in this wellness program. The program is administered by the Department of Employee Trust Funds through a contract with WebMD, in accordance with federal rules permitting employer-sponsored wellness programs that seek to improve employee health or prevent disease, including the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, as applicable, among others.
If you choose to participate in the wellness program you will be able to complete three steps with WebMD to earn an incentive. Those steps are:
- Complete the health assessment which asks a series of questions about your health related activities, behaviors, and whether you have or have had certain medical conditions (e.g., diabetes or heart disease).
- Participate in a health check option like a biometric screening, dental cleaning, or health coaching call.
- Complete an easy well-being activity. See the Well Wisconsin for Members site or your Well Wisconsin Program brochure for more information on your options for the well-being activity.
Subscribers and their eligible spouses who complete the three steps in the wellness program will receive a $150 prepaid card incentive from WebMD. Please note, the incentive is considered taxable income to the group health plan subscriber and is reported to their employer, who will issue a W-2 form. In some cases, the Wisconsin Retirement System acts as the employer. Retirees, continuants, and their spouses will have some taxes withheld from the incentive.
The information from your health assessment and the results of your health check will be used to provide you with information to help you understand your current health and potential risks. Results may also be used to offer you services through WebMD and your health insurance plan, such as telephonic/digital health coaching. You are encouraged to share your results or concerns with your doctor.
Protections from Disclosure of Health Information
ETF and its contractors are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your personally identifiable health information. Although the wellness program and ETF may use the aggregate information it collects to evaluate the current program and assist employers with addressing health risks in their workforce, WebMD will not disclose any of your personal information either publicly or to ETF, the Group Insurance Board, or your employer, except as expressly permitted by law. Medical information that personally identifies you that is provided in connection with the wellness program will not be provided to your supervisors or managers and may never be used to make decisions regarding your employment.
Your health information will not be shared except to the extent permitted by law to carry out specific activities related to the wellness program and Group Health Insurance Program administration, and you will not be asked or required to waive the confidentiality of your health information as a condition of participating in the wellness program or receiving an incentive. Any party who receives your information for purposes of providing you services as part of the wellness program will abide by the same confidentiality requirements and will be required to encrypt any stored health information. Appropriate precautions will be taken to avoid any data breach, and in the event a data breach occurs involving information you provide in connection with the wellness program, you will be notified. You may access WebMD's privacy practices at the WebMD portal.
No information you provide as part of the wellness program or your choice to participate in the wellness program may be used in making any employment decision.
If you have questions or concerns regarding this notice, or about protections against discrimination and retaliation please contact your employer's Affirmative Action Officer or Human Resource office.