Q
| Why should I take the online health assessment?
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A
| It will give you a snapshot of your health right now and help you track it over time. It can also help you understand your risks for chronic illness such as diabetes and heart disease. Knowing your baseline and your health risks can help you make everyday choices that improve your health and your quality of life.
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Q
| Why does PEBB require an assessment to participate in Weight Watchers?
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A
| Actually, the Board wants all members to take the health assessment. No-cost participation in Weight Watchers is a popular benefit that serves as a reward for taking the assessment. If you don’t want to take the assessment, you can still join or continue Weight Watchers by paying to participate.
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Q
| What kind of information is part of the assessment?
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A
| It has questions about physical activity, the types of food you eat, tobacco use, sun exposure, women’s health, chronic conditions, your use of preventive services and screenings, alcohol use and your family’s health history.
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Q
| Will I need to enter information from my doctor visits?
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A
| Height and weight are required fields. It would also be good to enter your waist measurement, blood pressure reading and results of recent lab tests, if any. But you can enter the information later.
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Q
| What if I don’t want to answer certain questions?
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A
| With few exceptions, you can skip questions that don’t apply or that you don’t want to address. This assessment is for you, alone, so it helps you to be as complete and honest as possible. And it’s completely confidential, so don’t worry that someone might see and make judgments by it.
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Q
| Why does the Board want members to take the assessment?
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A
| Taking a health assessment can encourage you to begin making changes to improve your health. When you improve your health, you have a better quality of life, you can be more productive, and you have less need for expensive medical care.
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Q
| Who has access to the information I put in my assessment?
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A
| Only you – unless you give permission otherwise. When you take the assessment, you choose whether you want your health plan to have access to the information or not. If you give them permission, they can use your results to introduce you to health coaching or other health support in the plan.
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Q
| Will my employer or PEBB have access to my personal information?
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A
| No. Your personal information is completely confidential. It will not be provided to your employer or the Benefit Board. The Board may receive summaries on the number of members who have taken the assessment and what proportion of the group reports a health issue or condition. But the Board will never know results of any individual’s assessment.
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Q
| Can the Board use this information to change or limit my coverage?
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A
| No. Information from health assessments isn’t accurate for predicting future health care needs or costs. But it can indicate health trends for large groups over time. These trends may help the Board create incentives for making wise use of our health care resources in future.
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