Keeping Up With Your Hidden Health With A HRA

Health insurance companies with the help of employers have developed a HRA or Health Risk Assessment questionnaire that is very helpful to insurance companies in reducing health care costs and lowering the cost of health insurance for employers and employees. This assessment is often seen as a violation to the privacy of employees, but nothing could be farther from the real truth of the risk assessment.

The benefits of this type of health assessment span across the board and this plan offers a discount to the employee and usually a significant one while affording the insurance company and employer the opportunity to inform employees about their health and the potential problems that they may face down the road. Some companies only have employees fill out a questionnaire and then they use the information gathered to help the employee find ways to improve their health. Some companies even offer employees who follow the directives with additional rewards.

In other cases a blood screening may actually be completed. With just a small sampling of your blood they can test to see the levels of your blood sugar and cholesterol levels to provide employees with additional information about their potential for serious illness down the line. Usually included with the blood drawing is a questionnaire, blood pressure check, as well as a height and weight screening to let employees know exactly what they need to work on. Checking just these few areas of health can allow employers and insurance companies to help their employees make healthier choices which in the long run will ensure longer lasting, healthier employees as well as lower health insurance premiums.

Gathering this type of information will allow a serious employee to be effectively proactive concerning their health and lifestyle changes that are necessary. The changes will often lead to a healthier and happier life. The screenings will reveal the seriousness of what their current lifestyle is doing to their future health because their daily routines. Problems like high blood pressure and high blood glucose levels are usually revealed without any knowledge of anything being wrong on the surface.

If your employer offers you the opportunity to save some money by completing one of these HRAs then do it. Not only will it help to keep a little more money in your paycheck each week but it may just serve to save your life as well.