Humana is reaching out to small businesses in Colorado. They just introduced a program that would help small businesses motivate their employees to make healthier choices. The Humana Rewards program is available to Colorado employer groups with 2-99 employees with Humana health insurance policies, starting January 1, 2009.

As part of the Humana Rewards program, Humana will give participants guidance on making healthy living decisions and adopting healthy habits. Members will have the chance to participate in activities, such as health assessments, health coaching, and preventive care. These activities will not only help the employees to become healthier, but will also teach them the fundamentals of healthy living. Participants will earn points for completing the activities, and the points can be redeemed for gift cards and merchandise.

Members will also have access to a personalized “MyHumana” portal on Humana.com. This site will allow employees to track their progress, redeem their points, and access additional health-related resources. Dan Oftedahl, President of Humana of Colorado, notes that the most interesting part of the program is that it is completely customizable.

The dynamic program is customized for each participant’s goals and choices, recognizing personal accomplishments and helping to increase health awareness and engagement in wellness.

- Dan Oftedahl, president of Humana of Colorado

If everything goes as well as expected, Humana feels the program will benefit not only the employees, but also the employers. Healthy employees tend to be more productive employees, and are less likely to be off work due to an illness. Plus, a healthier group of employees could certainly lead to lower health insurance costs - a benefit to both the employer and the employees.

The Humana Rewards program was originally launched in 2008, but was only aimed at large employers in select markets. Humana hopes that this test run in Colorado will prove to be successful, and will then consider opening the program to additional markets.

We’re interested in hearing from anyone who has participated in Humana’s Rewards Program. We’d like to hear more about the activities and incentives they provide. It seems like a truly wonderful idea to us, and we support any program that encourages health and wellness. Please leave a comment if you have any knowledge or experience with the program, of if you have any additional comments on Humana’s program.