The state of Washington is stepping up wellness efforts for its more than 108,000 employees with the selection of Limeade to spearhead efforts to curb healthcare costs and create a more healthful workforce.
Limeade, a startup based in Washington, specializes in large-scale wellness for Fortune 1000 companies and large municipalities, having already worked with the likes of Jamba Juice, Stanford Health Care, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Montana and others.
But the state of Washington will be the first where Limeade is serving 100 percent of the state workforce, according to CEO Henry Albrecht. It will do so for $15 million over five years.
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The state of Washington spent $1.27 billion in 2014 on medical, dental and pharmaceutical benefits, according to the Puget Sound Business Journal. Limeade said it could not provide an estimate on how much it might save the state on healthcare costs, but reducing costs is a main goal.
“We are focused on state outcomes, including health, well-being and performance — all of which should have a long-term impact on health costs” Albrecht said.
The state’s wellness effort, SmarthHealth, will launch in 2015. Limeade says it is “designed to drive sustainable, healthy behavior change” among state employees across 150 state agencies enrolled in the Public Employees Benefits Board Program. An additional 81,000 dependents and retirees are eligible for SmartHealth.
Limeade provides an online and mobile engagement platform for SmartHealth participants, who receive personalized improvement plans based on health assessments. The program also focuses on key health issues such as completion of the state’s tobacco cessation program, diabetes prevention and management programs, and other resources designed to improve health and performance. SmartHealth will be available to its eligible PEBB non-Medicare population.
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While tackling an entire state’s workforce may seem daunting, Limeade CEO Albrecht said the company is confident it can succeed, given its past experience with large employers.
“The size and complexity of any State government would be daunting for any company not ready for it,” he said. “There are over 100 state agencies serving nearly 200,000 people, with multiple health plans and a wide variety of integrated resources and systems. However, Limeade serves other very large organizations, and feels prepared to respond to the unique complexities of engaging these kinds of populations. We are also a Washington company, so we know the energy of these public servants.
Washington state’s effort to use wellness as a means of curbing costs stems from an executive order from Gov. Jay Inslee to improve the health of all state employees.
