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Promoting Healthy Living |
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From The Commonwealth Fund: This summary is based on the article "Public Programs Are Using Incentives to Promote Healthy Behavior" in the September/October 2007 issue of States in Action. Summary: Wisconsin is incorporating incentives for healthy behaviors into BadgerCare Plus, an expansion of its SCHIP program, known as BadgerCare. By piloting and evaluating at least five "Healthy Living" demonstration projects, Wisconsin hopes to identify creative, evidence-based approaches under the Healthy Living portfolio that could potentially be rolled out across the state. By providing rewards for healthy behaviors, these states are trying to give members a greater stake in improving their health status, enhance prevention and health outcomes, and reduce program costs. Focusing on behavioral change to improve health and control costs is a central concept of "patient engagement," which is being promoted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. States are using a variety of incentives to encourage healthy behaviors, primarily among Medicaid populations but also in the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and state-funded programs. The Intervention: Wisconsin is incorporating incentives for healthy behaviors into BadgerCare Plus, an expansion of its SCHIP program, known as BadgerCare. One unique feature of Wisconsin's strategy is its request of health plans to develop grant proposals for individual incentive programs, through the new "Healthy Living" component of BadgerCare Plus. The end goal of course is behavior change. The state envisions that health plans whose incentive strategies are chosen through the request-for-proposal process will work closely with providers and/or outreach workers to review the pledge with members, and to incorporate it into their overall strategy to improve patient health. Finally, Wisconsin is developing a health literacy campaign to educate public plan members on how to ask providers appropriate questions to guide their health care treatment.
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