Toledo-based Roemer Insurance Invests In Employee Health and Wellness

Cash incentives for participating in WellBiz program and new on-site fitness center considered an investment in good health and firm’s bottom line

November 27, 2007, Toledo, OH…Roemer Insurance has a history of actively supporting employee health and wellness. Employees have a wellness reimbursement account that vests over time for health-related expenditures. Twice a month employees are encouraged to receive therapeutic massage, subsidized by Roemer Insurance, in the office during work hours. Periodically the company provides fresh fruit and vegetables as healthy snacks for their employees. Now, as Roemer Insurance gears up for its participation in the first year of WellBiz, a three-year pilot workplace wellness program, the company is in the final stages of building a fitness facility inside its headquarters. Rocky Roemer, president and CEO of Roemer Insurance, sees this emphasis on workplace wellness as a logical progression of the risk-management tactics the company has used in its trucking insurance division. “As insurance professionals we are well aware of the financial impact of illness and disease,” he stated. “We understand that the investment we make in the health of our workforce is an investment in our firm’s bottom line,” he continued.

Coincidentally, the WellBiz health screenings for Roemer Insurance employees happened the same day a national study, detailing the economic costs of chronic preventable disease, was released by the nonprofit Milken Institute. The Milken report said that chronic diseases cost the nation’s economy nearly 300 billion dollars a year for treatment and more than $1 trillion dollars a year in lost productivity. The report also stated that economic costs could be altered dramatically if serious efforts were made to improve Americans’ health. Rocky Roemer feels that the study provides a valuable service by focusing national attention on the issue. According to Roemer, the benefits of a healthy workforce far outweigh the cost of workplace wellness programs. “Most companies have been experiencing increases in health insurance premiums of 15-30% per year,” he said. “Making a serious effort to promote health and wellness in the workplace is an investment in our future because reducing your health claims is the only way to reduce your health insurance cost,” he concluded.

Roemer Insurance is one of five local companies participating in a three-year pilot program sponsored by The Healthy Communities Foundation, Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce and Harris HealthTrends Incorporated. Year one of the program runs from October 3, 2007- October 3, 2008. The company’s first health screenings were held at corporate headquarters in Toledo and included blood pressure readings, height and weight measurements and checking total blood cholesterol levels including HDL and glucose levels.

Employees also took an online health risk assessment, which identified areas for improvement. “We were really pleased. We had 100% employee participation in the first phase of this new program,” said Alex Due, executive vice president of Roemer Health Life Benefits division. According to Alex, the company offered cash incentives for employee participation in the WellBiz program and provided fresh fruit and vegetables for snacking. “We are committed to educating our employees about health and wellness and supporting their efforts to be healthy,” he stated. Roemer Insurance will be offering free flu shots for its employees and discounted flu shots for their family members. The new on-site fitness center is scheduled for completion in early December. For more information about Roemer Insurance visit www.roemer-insurance.com or call 419.475.5151.

About Roemer Insurance
Established in 1934 by trucking insurance pioneer, Wellington F. “Dud” Roemer,
Roemer Insurance is a third-generation family owned and operated insurance and risk-management firm. Roemer Insurance is a Toledo-area leader in employee health and benefit package plans, with an emphasis on workplace wellness, strong community ties and active participation in business and charitable organizations. Roemer Insurance specializes in trucking insurance packages for large and small fleets. Its Health Life Benefits division offers group and personal coverage. Committed to technology and sound insurance practices, Roemer Insurance continues to set the standard in risk management and customer service. Roemer Insurance is a member of the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America and The Professional Insurance Association.