DFWBGH Benefit Design Survey Indicates Employers Remain Committed to Wellness Programs

DFWBGH Benefit Design Survey Indicates Employers Remain Committed to Wellness
Programs

December 3 Value-Based Benefits & Wellness Forum to bring national experts to
DFW

DALLAS, Nov. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Today the Dallas-Fort Worth Business Group on
Health, a non-profit coalition of DFW area employers, released the results of
its employer survey regarding 2010 benefit plan designs indicating that in
spite of current economic pressures 83 percent do not plan to cut back on
their benefits and 37 percent have plans to add or improve benefits.

"The only way to bend the curve of increasing health care costs is to focus on
wellness and prevention," said Matt Robins, Director of Benefits, Sabre
Holdings, a DFWBGH member. "At Sabre we've implemented a variety of worksite
wellness programs that have positively impacted the health and well being of
our employees as well as our health care costs." Sabre's wellness programs
include employee education, health screenings, an on-campus Farmers Market and
workout facility, healthy menu options in the company's cafeteria and
organized health challenges.

The survey also indicated that nearly half (48 percent) plan to shift
additional costs on to employees, 93 percent have no plans to delay benefit
plan changes pending final federal health care reform legislation, 57 percent
anticipate an increase of six to ten percent for 2010 medical premiums, while
seven percent anticipate a decrease in premium costs.

Educating Employers on Value-Based Benefits and Wellness
To support DFW employers' wellness and prevention efforts, the DFWBGH will
host its Fifth Annual Value-Based Benefits & Wellness Forum and Vendor Fair on
December 3, 2009. Employers will learn about benefits and wellness programs
that improve employee health and performance, save money, and deliver
measurable returns on investment.

"Given the impact the economy has had on travel budgets, we are pleased to be
able to bring nationally-recognized experts to Dallas to assist area employers
in learning more about value-based benefits and wellness strategies," said
Marianne Fazen, PhD, executive director, DFWBGH.

The program will feature several employer case studies of successful
value-based benefits strategies presented by Safeway, HEB Grocery, City of
Mesquite and Covenant Health Systems, as well as sessions on key benefits and
wellness design issues, such as applying behavioral economics to employee
decision-making, effective incentives, and ensuring program compliance with
new health care legislation and regulations.

For additional information on DFWBGH's employer survey and the December 3
Benefits and Wellness Forum, please visit www.dfwbgh.org.

About the Dallas-Fort Worth Business Group on Health

The Dallas-Fort Worth Business Group on Health is a 130-member coalition of
Dallas and Fort Worth area employers committed to market-based health care
reform. Members include American Airlines, Bell Helicopter-Textron, Brinker
International, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, JC Penney, Neiman Marcus, Sabre
Holdings, Southwest Airlines, and Texas Instruments. A member of the Texas
Business Group on Health and the National Business Coalition on Health,
DFWBGH's goals are to empower employers to make informed health care
purchasing decisions and to encourage health care providers to continuously
improve their performance.

SOURCE Dallas-Fort Worth Business Group on Health

Cary Conway, +1-972-731-9242, cary@conwaycommunication.com, for Dallas-Fort
Worth Business Group on Health