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Employee and Retiree Service Center → Retirees → Benefits → Wellness Initiatives

Wellness Initiatives for Retirees

Are you not yet eligible for Medicare and covered by an MCPS-provided medical insurance plan through CareFirst, or Kaiser Permanente? If so, you can learn more about your health and reduce your contributions to your health insurance with the Wellness Initiatives program. To take full advantage of these rate reductions, complete a biometric health screening and a health risk assessment yearly.

If you are a new retiree and are not eligible for Medicare, you must complete a biometric health screening and a health risk assessment as a retiree to receive the incentives and reduce your contribution to the cost of your retiree health insurance. Any incentive credited while you were an active employee covered by an employee medical plan WILL NOT carry over to your retiree health plan.

Need more information about the Wellness Initiatives program? Read the Frequently Asked Questions. 

Biometric Health Screenings

Complete a biometric health screening of your blood pressure, blood sugar, body mass index, and cholesterol between October 10, 2022, and October 6, 2023—and again each year by the announced deadline. If you do, MCPS will pay 1 percent more of the total cost of your health insurance (medical, prescription, dental, and vision) in 2024—reducing your contribution by 1 percent.* You do not need to meet any medical standards to earn the incentive. Enrolled in a two-party or family medical plan? Only you—the medical-plan subscriber—need to complete a screening to earn the incentive. Maintain the rate reduction by completing a biometric health screening each year within the announced time frame.

Here's how:

  • Sign up for a Well Aware biometric health screening that is associated with your medical insurance plan. You must have a confirmed appointment to participate in this non-fasting screening.
    OR
  • Visit your primary care physician for your annual physical.
    • Cigna plan members—If you completed a physical with your primary care physician with Carefirst between 10/10/22 and 12/31/22, email your Explanation of Benefits for the visit to wellness@mcpsmd.org for the 2024 benefit year. 
    • Cigna plan members --Complete a physical with your primary care physician by October 6, 2023. The visit must be billed as an annual physical (zero copay). Cigna will report this to MCPS, and you will receive credit for completing your biometric health screening for the 2024 benefit year. 
    • Kaiser Permanente plan members—You MUST log in to the Kaiser Permanente incentive web page to confirm your participation in the Wellness Initiatives program and determine if you must meet any additional requirements. Read Kaiser Permanente's instructions on completing a biometric health screening.

Health Risk Assessments

In addition to a biometric health screening, you can save another 1 percent of the total cost of your health insurance by completing your medical insurance plan's online health risk assessment between October 10, 2022, and October 6, 2023—and again each year by the announced deadline.* For two-party and family plans, only the MCPS subscriber needs to complete an assessment to earn the incentive.

Here's how:

  • Visit your medical insurance plan’s web page (Cigna, or Kaiser Permanente).
  • Log in to your password-protected account. (You may need to create an account first.)
  • Follow the onscreen instructions.
    • You will be asked for your blood pressure and cholesterol levels. You may wish to complete your biometric health screening prior to the health risk assessment so you will have those numbers. Although entering your biometric health screening information is not mandatory to receive the incentive, entering this information will give you a better picture of your current health status.
    • Cigna Members—Access your health risk assessment from the www.mycigna.com website.
    • Kaiser Permanente members—You must visit the Kaiser Permanente incentive portal to confirm your participation in the Wellness Initiatives program and determine if you must meet any additional requirements. Read Kaiser Permanente's instructions on completing an online health risk assessment. 
  • To maintain the rate reduction, complete the health risk assessment in its entirety each year within the announced time frame.

*If you are covered by a prescription, dental, and/or vision plan, but do not carry medical insurance through MCPS, you may complete a biometric health screening, but will NOT be eligible for the 1 percent reduction. You will NOT be able to complete a health risk assessment, however, since they are offered only through the medical plans.