State union: Gov. using wellness 'as a weapon'

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BY NANCY HICKS / Lincoln Journal Star

On Thursday, Gov. Dave Heineman encouraged state employees to participate in a wellness program.

Wearing a red Nebraska sports shirt, the governor and more than 75 employees walked briskly round and round a Capitol corridor for TV news cameras.

And Friday, Papillion Sen. Tim Gay introduced a bill backed by the governor that carries a financial incentive to encourage participation in a wellness program.

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Gov. Dave Heineman

Gov. Dave Heineman

But there is a catch in the proposal, state union leaders say.

Employees would be punished for refusing to participate in a state-sanctioned wellness program under LB884. Those who don’t participate would be required to pay more than 21 percent of health insurance premiums, the traditional share for state workers.

The legislation would affect nearly 20,000 state employees.

This bill “is a piece of garbage,” said Mike Marvin, executive director of the major state employee union. “They are using wellness as a weapon.”

Marvin, director of NAPE/AFSCME, Local 61, AFL-CIO, said the move is contrary to how other states approach wellness programs.

“Rather than encourage employees to take part in a wellness program, they want to punish employees who won’t do it,” he said.

The bill would remove the requirement the state pay 79 percent of a state employee’s health insurance premium.

The 79-21 percent split — a tradition in Nebraska government — would remain only for employees who participate in a state-sanctioned wellness plan.

All others would pay more than 21 percent of the premium, but the bill didn’t specify how much.

Union leaders have talked with state administrators about a financial incentives where participating employees would pay less than the 21 percent for health insurance, Marvin said.

The business community is moving this direction, Gay said, with lower premiums or other incentives for people who sign up for wellness programs.

“I think this is something to look at to control costs,” he said.

And the bill will start the discussion, he said.

The health insurance system, with its skyrocketing premiums, isn’t working, he said.

Marvin said the bill had other problems beyond tinkering with premiums. It doesn’t define what a wellness program would include. And there are no exclusions for people with disabilities, he said.

“What if I am covered under the (Americans with Disabilities Act)? You can’t punish me for something I can’t do.”

The state has not yet created a wellness program. But it might include coaching or help for those who are overweight, have diabetic conditions, or asthma, said Roger Wilson, state controller.

The state would hire a company to run the program, he said.

Finally, Marvin pointed out, though state laws spells out the 79-21 split, health insurance premiums are part of the union bargaining process and can’t be changed in statute.

“Our contract prevails right now,” he said.

Reach Nancy Hicks at 473-7250 or nhicks@journalstar.com.