Humana Inc. today announced the upcoming launch of Humana Momentum, a new health care incentive program to benefit both employees and employers in southeastern Wisconsin.

Beginning March 1, Humana Momentum will be available as part of the Business Health Care Group's fully insured group medical plans, to help employers in the BHCG engage employees in their health and reward them for healthy living.

Small, sustained changes to daily habits can lead to big improvements in health, which in turn can result in reduced absenteeism and workers' compensation and disability claims, Humana said.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, companies that have implemented wellness programs have reported a 26-percent drop in health care costs.

"Humana Momentum offers attractive incentives to encourage employees to make better health care decisions, which lead to positive behavior changes and increased wellness," said Kristine Seymour, president of Humana's Wisconsin market. "Building on this, the program also goes a step further by rewarding employers for engaging their employees in actively taking steps toward improving their health."

As part of Humana Momentum, employers will have access to Humana Rewards, an established incentive program in which employees earn points redeemable for gift cards and merchandise by completing activities that engage them in healthy decision making, such as health assessments, health coaching and preventive care.

As employees get the help they need to move toward healthier lifestyles, they earn points through Humana Rewards. The MyHumana personalized portal on Humana.com gives participants a way to track their progress, redeem points and access additional wellness resources. Once certain reward levels and requirements are met, employers will be eligible to receive up to a 2-percent discount off their medical rate at renewal, and up to 3-percent off the dental rate at renewal.

"Small changes in daily habits can lead to big improvements in health, including weight loss, lowering blood pressure and cholesterol and even decreasing chances for chronic conditions such as diabetes," said Dr. Steven Baker, Milwaukee market medical officer for Humana. "We need to invest in preventive programs to keep people healthy and motivate them to do the right thing; Humana Momentum helps accomplish this goal."

Employees actively engaged in their wellness are healthier overall and can help to lower health-insurance costs for the business - a win-win situation for the employees and the employers' bottom line.

For more information on the Humana Momentum program, contact 800-825-9900.