CMS is offering 10 states the opportunity to participate in a wellness pilot program for the individual health insurance market, the agency announced Sept. 30.
The demonstration project aims to give insurers more flexibility in how they design wellness programs for individual market health plans, including offering discounts on premiums or other incentives contingent on meeting health goals. These so-called "health-contingent" programs will be required to offer alternatives for people who cannot meet certain standards due to medical conditions or preexisting conditions. The pilot aims to bring wellness programs, which are common in the employer-sponsored insurance market, to those buying insurance on the exchanges.
However, the project comes as some research suggests workplace wellness programs have not been effective in lowering costs or changing behavior.
Learn more about the demonstration project here.
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