Comments on: Beware of Whole Foods’ Healthy Employee Discount http://www.elegantroots.com/blog/news/beware-of-whole-foods-healthy-employee-discount/ Thu, 22 Jul 2010 03:51:32 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: elegantroots http://www.elegantroots.com/blog/news/beware-of-whole-foods-healthy-employee-discount/comment-page-1/#comment-204 elegantroots Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:32:27 +0000 http://www.elegantroots.com/blog/?p=328#comment-204 Hi Julie, Thanks for reading. I am a little disappointed that you felt the need to rely on ad hominem attacks -- baseless and stereotyped -- as though anyone who criticizes Whole Foods -- how did you put it? -- shops at gas stations, drinks high fructose corn syrup, and has never shopped at Whole Foods. Though you definitely love working there and the security it has provided you for 10 years, you haven't really responded to my points except in one regard. You say you didn't qualify for the top discount -- but that you still get 20%. I think that's great -- though that sounds as if you didn't get any added discount. My observation that few people will qualify for the top, 30% discount is purely anecdotal -- that I have not known anyone who can achieve a cholesterol score of 149 or below without a prescription. I'm happy to assume I'm wrong on that. My main point is different and you didn't address it at all: what assurances has the company made as far as how it will use the data collected? Can the data be used to show that insurance rates would be lower for a workforce that qualifies for the higher discounts? If so, that could be presented as a rational basis to use cholesterol, blood pressure and BMI scores in hiring decisions. Have you no concerns on that issue? Thanks, Rob Hi Julie,

Thanks for reading. I am a little disappointed that you felt the need to rely on ad hominem attacks — baseless and stereotyped — as though anyone who criticizes Whole Foods — how did you put it? — shops at gas stations, drinks high fructose corn syrup, and has never shopped at Whole Foods. Though you definitely love working there and the security it has provided you for 10 years, you haven’t really responded to my points except in one regard.

You say you didn’t qualify for the top discount — but that you still get 20%. I think that’s great — though that sounds as if you didn’t get any added discount. My observation that few people will qualify for the top, 30% discount is purely anecdotal — that I have not known anyone who can achieve a cholesterol score of 149 or below without a prescription. I’m happy to assume I’m wrong on that.

My main point is different and you didn’t address it at all: what assurances has the company made as far as how it will use the data collected? Can the data be used to show that insurance rates would be lower for a workforce that qualifies for the higher discounts? If so, that could be presented as a rational basis to use cholesterol, blood pressure and BMI scores in hiring decisions. Have you no concerns on that issue?
Thanks,
Rob

]]> By: elegantroots http://www.elegantroots.com/blog/news/beware-of-whole-foods-healthy-employee-discount/comment-page-1/#comment-203 elegantroots Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:31:38 +0000 http://www.elegantroots.com/blog/?p=328#comment-203 Thanks for the thoughtful and informative reply. And congratulations on making more healthful choices and on the results. I just hope that the aggregated data is not in the future used to limit new hires to those who can meet the higher discount requirements. Thanks for the thoughtful and informative reply. And congratulations on making more healthful choices and on the results. I just hope that the aggregated data is not in the future used to limit new hires to those who can meet the higher discount requirements.

]]> By: julie http://www.elegantroots.com/blog/news/beware-of-whole-foods-healthy-employee-discount/comment-page-1/#comment-197 julie Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:26:03 +0000 http://www.elegantroots.com/blog/?p=328#comment-197 Hello. I am an employee at whole foods and have been for over 10 years. TEN YEARS. I'm not in management but I definitely have a loyalty to the company that has kept me employed and insured (and surrounded with great people) for those years. This new health incentive program is a great way for employees to get a better discount. I did not qualify for the top discount and I'm not pouting about it. I can improve my eating/exercising habits and test again as many times as I like until i do qualify. But it's not that big of a deal because I still get 20% off, which is still a great discount! The people that are loudly protesting every move that Whole Foods makes are generally the people that don't work or shop there. Funny, eh? You also mentioned that very few people will ever qualify for the 27% and 30% discount. How do you figure? In my circle alone most of my friends did qualify. Whole Foods employees are generally people with healthy lifestyles to begin with. They volunteer, lead active lifestyles and enjoy working with like-minded people. As an employee of Whole Foods, I may not agree with EVERYTHING the company does but my family doesn't worry about insurance. I don't worry about where my next paycheck is coming from. I get a healthy discount already and am proud to say that Whole Foods is the only place that I shop. I just wish that those of you that wish to shop at gas stations would stop trying to ruin the good thing that we have going. Stop complaining for those that do not wish to complain. Pour yourselves a large glass of high fructose corn syrup, sit back and figure out what you can do to help yourselves. Hello. I am an employee at whole foods and have been for over 10 years. TEN YEARS. I’m not in management but I definitely have a loyalty to the company that has kept me employed and insured (and surrounded with great people) for those years.
This new health incentive program is a great way for employees to get a better discount. I did not qualify for the top discount and I’m not pouting about it. I can improve my eating/exercising habits and test again as many times as I like until i do qualify. But it’s not that big of a deal because I still get 20% off, which is still a great discount!
The people that are loudly protesting every move that Whole Foods makes are generally the people that don’t work or shop there. Funny, eh?
You also mentioned that very few people will ever qualify for the 27% and 30% discount. How do you figure? In my circle alone most of my friends did qualify. Whole Foods employees are generally people with healthy lifestyles to begin with. They volunteer, lead active lifestyles and enjoy working with like-minded people.
As an employee of Whole Foods, I may not agree with EVERYTHING the company does but my family doesn’t worry about insurance. I don’t worry about where my next paycheck is coming from. I get a healthy discount already and am proud to say that Whole Foods is the only place that I shop.
I just wish that those of you that wish to shop at gas stations would stop trying to ruin the good thing that we have going. Stop complaining for those that do not wish to complain. Pour yourselves a large glass of high fructose corn syrup, sit back and figure out what you can do to help yourselves.

]]> By: Our Choice http://www.elegantroots.com/blog/news/beware-of-whole-foods-healthy-employee-discount/comment-page-1/#comment-196 Our Choice Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:20:04 +0000 http://www.elegantroots.com/blog/?p=328#comment-196 I do work for Whole Foods and think this is a great incentive. Because of this program I for one lost around 20 pounds and reduced my cholesterol to reach the 27% range. Many others I know have done so too. Everything in life is not fair and this program is voluntary. Many others I work with have also changed their diet to a healthier one in response to this incentive. It seems to me it is doing exactly what it was intended to do. The qualifying information is originated, controlled and kept by our health care provider which would become exposed to it anyway via any doctor visit, not Whole Foods. Of course Whole Foods becomes aware of the information volunteered in order to classify and verify your additional discount level. Seeing as Whole Foods is self insured and we ourselves vote on what our benefit dollars are used for (with health coverage expense being one of them), by decreasing the overall expense of health related costs we are allowing ourselves to utilize these benefit dollars for more or other benefits. I see this as a win win all the way around. I do work for Whole Foods and think this is a great incentive. Because of this program I for one lost around 20 pounds and reduced my cholesterol to reach the 27% range. Many others I know have done so too. Everything in life is not fair and this program is voluntary. Many others I work with have also changed their diet to a healthier one in response to this incentive. It seems to me it is doing exactly what it was intended to do. The qualifying information is originated, controlled and kept by our health care provider which would become exposed to it anyway via any doctor visit, not Whole Foods. Of course Whole Foods becomes aware of the information volunteered in order to classify and verify your additional discount level.

Seeing as Whole Foods is self insured and we ourselves vote on what our benefit dollars are used for (with health coverage expense being one of them), by decreasing the overall expense of health related costs we are allowing ourselves to utilize these benefit dollars for more or other benefits. I see this as a win win all the way around.

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