NEW YORK, Oct. 17, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- bWell International, a health benefits education and consulting company, is making the bWell-informed Educational Presentation, a new consumer-directed healthcare (CDH) education tool, available for immediate purchase via its new e-commerce site, www.bwell-inc.com. The presentation is available via direct download, CD or DVD, starting at $149.
The Educational Presentation is a nine-minute video tutorial that can be used for broker marketing, employer and employee education and communication at open enrollment and other times. It provides an easy to understand introduction to CDH, the choices necessary to be an informed health consumer and the risks and benefits of health savings account (HSA)-based plans. It explains how HSA-based health plans differ from traditional managed care, and how these plans can work to the consumers' advantage. The presentation includes interactive video player commands to rewind, pause, or fast-forward the presentation. Special functions allow users to download a PDF or PPT of the presentation, or download a Quicktime or mp3 version for remote viewing. The bWell-Informed Educational Presentation is offered in three different delivery methods: Digital Internet Download, CD-ROM Disk (for computer playback) and DVD Disk (for video playback on regular DVD systems).
"The missing link in consumer-directed healthcare is providing people with a clear understanding of the risks and benefits of health savings accounts and high deductible plans, whether they are individuals picking a CDH plan for the first time or employers trying to encourage the adoption of these plans," said Phil Micali, president and CEO of bWell International. "Our tools educate and guide individuals and employers so that they can understand the risks and benefits and learn how to maximize the health and financial possibilities of consumer-directed healthcare."
In addition to the Educational Presentation, bWell also offers the Health Plan Forecaster, an interactive, personalized comparison tool to evaluate health plan options over time based on individual health and risk factors, and the Health Risk Forecaster, which allows employees to actively identify and manage their health risks. The bWell-informed(tm) health education and planning tool set provides individuals and employers with interactive resources to create personalized decisions about health benefits choices, including plan selection, risk assessment and wellness planning. bWell's tool set makes it possible for individuals to forecast the costs, risks and benefits associated with health savings account (HSA)-based high deductible health plans over multiple years.
"All bWell-informed(tm) tools are vendor-neutral. They can be used by individuals trying to assess their health benefit options or as introduction to CDH for brokers and employers looking to encourage enrollment," said Micali. "We have essentially created an underwriting tool for individuals to assess not just if they should select a high deductible plan, but how they should set the deductible and fund their HSA. These are all new choices for most people."
Educating consumers about CDHP programs is an essential step in empowering consumers to take control of their healthcare. According to a 2006 HRA/HSA Survey conducted by Buck Consultants, eighty-one percent of employers felt the key challenge to creating a successful consumer-directed health plan (CDHP) program was helping employees truly understand the plans. Companies with employees who are well-educated about CDHP programs currently have a significantly higher participation rate in the plans, as compared to companies providing little or no outreach for their CDHP programs. bWell-informed educational and personal underwriting tools give individuals the knowledge and foresight they need to choose the right HSA options and to make important health and lifestyle decisions.
About bWell International
bWell International, Inc. is a heath benefits education company that believes health is wealth. bWell provides businesses and individuals with health education and planning tools, including the bWell-informed(tm) Health Plan Forecaster, a learning tool that allows consumers to evaluate health plan options over time based on individual health and risk factors. The Health Plan Forecaster and several component parts -- the Health Risk Assessment and the Educational Presentation -- can be purchased on a standalone basis or as an integrated tool set. In addition, bWell helps build consumerism in healthcare and wellness services through the company's bWell-planning(tm) coaching and consulting services.