El Paso has embraced consumer-driven health care with our employees. Our model is built on the idea that employees who understand the true cost of health care are more likely to be effective health care consumers, take ownership of their health, and adopt healthy behaviors. In addition to our base benefit plans, Choose Well – our comprehensive, results-oriented wellness program – encourages our team members to be accountable and focus on healthy lifestyles.
Comprehensive Benefit Plans
El Paso offers full-time employees a range of conventional health-related benefits, such as medical, dental, vision, life, accidental death and dismemberment, mental health and substance abuse, as well as legal insurance coverage. In addition, domestic partner benefits are extended to same sex couples. El Paso also offers medical benefits to our part-time employees.
In line with our consumer-driven health care model, we were one of the early adopters of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). Combined with a high-deductible health plan, HSAs promote consumerism, defer some taxes, and provide an option for team members to save for future health care costs, including retiree medical expenses. The company contributes $1,000 to the HSAs for each employee enrolled in the EPChoice plan.
Choose Well
We are in our fifth year of Choose Well, our wellness program that uses education, practical tools, fitness events, and incentives to promote smarter decision making about health and wellness. Eligible employees can participate in activities that allow them to earn up to $600 in wellness dollars, such as a free health risk assessment and biometric health screening. Also available are educational computer-based training opportunities.
Office-based health fairs and events provide employees with opportunities to gain information about important health topics, visit with health professionals, and learn about healthy nutrition. Also offered to eligible employees are optional subsidies through a partnership with Weight Watchers. To support tobacco cessation, El Paso has joined with QuitNet to provide all employees with various quitting resources at no charge.
In 2010, 68 percent of Team El Paso participated in Choose Well and earned approximately $850,000 in wellness dollars, which can be applied to health spending accounts for eligible health care expenses. In 2009, the same percentage of employees participated in Choose Well, but earned a total of $1.1 million wellness dollars.
Adoption Benefits
We began offering a $25,000 adoption assistance benefit in 2009 as a way to ensure all of our employees can fulfill their dreams of having families. Three employees took advantage of the Adoption Benefit Program in 2010, and two employees used the benefit during 2009.
Select Plus Program
El Paso’s Select Plus program is an innovative employee benefit that helps employees with the coordination and provision of medical care in the event they are diagnosed with certain catastrophic conditions. In addition to assuring quality medical care at recognized medical centers of excellence located in Houston, the program covers deductibles, co-payments, and certain out-of-pocket expenses for employees and their covered dependents. The program also covers certain transportation and lodging expenses for participants residing outside the Houston area.
Medical conditions eligible for assistance through the Select Plus program include cardiovascular disease, cancer, and neurosurgical disorders. The program has no requirements for eligibility, but employees and eligible dependents must be enrolled and covered under El Paso’s medical plan.
In 2010, 82 individuals, either employees or their dependents, benefited from this program, which is a decrease from 2009 when 109 individuals used this benefit.
Employee Fitness Program
As part of our focus on wellness, we offer free memberships to an on-site fitness center to our Houston-based employees. The center includes aerobic and strength-training equipment, a fully equipped workout area, an indoor track, and shower and locker areas. Additionally, a variety of aerobics and other exercise classes are available.
Of approximately 1,900 Houston-based employees, 1,341 had memberships at the El Paso Fitness Center at end-of-year 2010. This is an increase from 2009 when 1,270 Houston-based employees held memberships.
Employees based outside the Houston area are eligible for a $25 monthly fitness subsidy to cover their membership at the fitness center of their choice. At year-end 2010, El Paso subsidized fitness center memberships for 792 employees, which is a slight increase from 2009 when 781 memberships were subsidized.
Employee Assistance Program
We offer a comprehensive Employee Assistance Program (EAP) that provides our team and their eligible dependents with confidential counseling, education, and referral services. Employees can reach an EAP counselor by calling a toll-free number at any time of day, every day. The program is confidential.
In addition, employees and their families have access to the Live and Work Well Web site, an easy-to-use gateway to extensive benefits, health, and well-being information. The site offers a wide range of online resources on financial and legal matters, mental health, substance abuse, work/life balance, and elder and parenting information.
In 2010, 266 El Paso employees and their dependents took advantage of their EAP benefits.
