The City of SeaTac recently earned a WellCity Award from the Association of Washington Cities (AWC) Employee Benefit Trust, one of 82 cities receiving the award. The award is based on meeting stringent best practice standards in employee health promotion. This is the City’s 7th consecutive year earning the award.
The Association of Washington Cities is
a private, non-profit, non-partisan corporation that represents Washington’s cities and towns before the state legislature, the state executive branch and with regulatory agencies. Membership is voluntary. However, AWC consistently maintains 100% participation from Washington’s 281 cities and towns. A 24-member Board of Directors oversees the association’s activities.
Award recipients receive a 2% premium discount on their Regence BlueShield or Asuris Northwest Health medical coverage for employee & spouses in 2012. The City will save an estimated $30,000 in general fund budget expenditures in 2012 for medical insurance premiums.
The discounts are not awarded by Regence or Asuris, but are administered through the AWC’s own Employee Benefit Trust:
The Trust is committed to providing quality health benefits to city employees in Washington. Trust staff negotiates contracts with insurance carriers and provides statewide health benefit options for cities. Our rates are posted here and are the same for all employers – regardless of how large – or small your city or town may be.
“While the 2% premium discount is a considerable motivation in times of strained budgets, the rewards go beyond the monetary savings.” said Mike McCarty, AWC CEO. “A city that works on employee health sees increases in productivity, morale and employee retention, and decreases in absenteeism and injuries,” McCarty added.
