Flu-shot discount ruled out by state worker health board

State and public school employees won’t be required to get a flu shot, or promise to get one, to qualify for a discount on their health insurance premiums in 2019, a state board decided Tuesday.

The decision by the State and Public School Life and Health Insurance Board followed a recommendation earlier this month by its benefits subcommittee.

A special committee formed earlier this year to explore changes to the plans’ wellness program had recommended the requirement, but Chris Howlett, director of the Department of Finance and Administration’s Employee Benefits Division, told the benefits subcommittee and board he had concerns about the requirement.

Howlett has said it would be difficult to verify whether someone had gotten a flu shot, and he has also heard from several school and state employees who oppose the requirement.

The health plans cover about 148,000 people, including 45,000 school employees and 26,000 state employees as well as retirees and the spouses and dependents of employees and retirees.

In an effort to hold down employees’ health costs, the plans since 2015 have offered a premium discount of $75 a month to employees who meet wellness requirements.

Currently, employees and covered spouses are required to visit a doctor and complete an online health questionnaire.

Under the revamped program, approved by the board on Tuesday, the doctor’s visits would no longer be required, and the questionnaire would be revised to focus on educating employees about their health, rather than on collecting data.

Employees would be tested for tobacco use, and those who test positive would be required to enroll in a smoking cessation program. Employees would also have to submit measurements on their height, weight, blood sugar and blood pressure.

Employees would have to meet the new requirements next year to qualify for the discount in 2019. The amount of the discount that year hasn’t been decided.