Health Insurance Plans - Has anyone seen a plant-based diet

cvhess · **Joined:** Thu Mar 01, 2012 1:55 pm **Posts:** 10

Has anyone seen a health plan incorporate a plant-based diet into its nutrition program?

Have you seen companies like Aetna, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Cigna, or Kaiser offer a plant-based diet to any of their members?

Gweithgar · **Posted:** Thu Mar 01, 2012 2:07 pm

My health insurance (Unity) pays a rebate which partially covers the cost of joining a CSA. They pay for vegetable shares only, not for egg, meat, milk, or cheese shares. So at least they promote eating more veggies.

cvhess · **Joined:** Thu Mar 01, 2012 1:55 pm **Posts:** 10

Gweithgar wrote:

My health insurance (Unity) pays a rebate which partially covers the cost of joining a CSA. They pay for vegetable shares only, not for egg, meat, milk, or cheese shares. So at least they promote eating more veggies.

Thank you for the reply. I have not heard of anything like that before, and I think that is really cool! Can you explain how the rebate works?

And would I need a certain type of Unity Health Insurance, or do you think they do that for all of their members>

Gweithgar · **Posted:** Thu Mar 01, 2012 2:21 pm

I think that the CSA rebate is available to all their members. They also pay rebates to help cover gym memberships; it's part of their Health & Wellness program: http://www.unityhealth.com/Members/Heal ... /index.htm.
With the CSA, you choose a CSA that is on their approved list. I'm in the Madison, Wisconsin area, and there are several CSAs to choose from. Then you purchase your shares, fill out the rebate form from Unity, and send the form in, along with your paid receipt. The rebate shows up close to the start of the CSA season.

If you have health insurance, check with your provider to see if they offer anything similar.

cvhess · **Joined:** Thu Mar 01, 2012 1:55 pm **Posts:** 10

This is really cool. Thank you.

I wonder if any other insurer has something similar or even basic info about plant-based diets on their website?

serenity · **Posted:** Thu Mar 01, 2012 7:12 pm

cvhess wrote:

Has anyone seen a health plan incorporate a plant-based diet into its nutrition program?

Have you seen companies like Aetna, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Cigna, or Kaiser offer a plant-based diet to any of their members?

Dr. McDougall worked with Blue Cross for3 years.

Quote:

Our work together eventually led to a 3-year trial at Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Minnesota. Between 1999 and 2001 we were able to show remarkable health benefits for their employees: weight loss, reduction in cholesterol, blood pressure, and sugars; relief of indigestion, constipation, arthritis, etc. We were also able to document a 44% reduction in healthcare costs after one year based on the insurance company’s own claims data. After these extraordinary results we expected Blue Cross/Blue Shield to get solidly behind us and to begin reforming healthcare. I had forgotten my earlier lesson: they take a piece of the pie—there was no real incentive to slow the growth of medical care—at least by the methods we were offering. Over the past decade the business of Blue Cross/Blue Shield, and all other private insurance companies, has skyrocketed. Along with their growth, their subscribers have grown too: fatter and sicker with bigger bags filled with more pills and potions.

http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2009nl/jun/real.htm

cvhess · **Joined:** Thu Mar 01, 2012 1:55 pm **Posts:** 10

Thank you for the post! I thought I read that Kaiser has a few classes at various locations, but it seems that they still are not doing anything on a national level.

serenity wrote:

cvhess wrote:

Has anyone seen a health plan incorporate a plant-based diet into its nutrition program?

Have you seen companies like Aetna, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Cigna, or Kaiser offer a plant-based diet to any of their members?

Dr. McDougall worked with Blue Cross for3 years.

Quote:

Our work together eventually led to a 3-year trial at Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Minnesota. Between 1999 and 2001 we were able to show remarkable health benefits for their employees: weight loss, reduction in cholesterol, blood pressure, and sugars; relief of indigestion, constipation, arthritis, etc. We were also able to document a 44% reduction in healthcare costs after one year based on the insurance company’s own claims data. After these extraordinary results we expected Blue Cross/Blue Shield to get solidly behind us and to begin reforming healthcare. I had forgotten my earlier lesson: they take a piece of the pie—there was no real incentive to slow the growth of medical care—at least by the methods we were offering. Over the past decade the business of Blue Cross/Blue Shield, and all other private insurance companies, has skyrocketed. Along with their growth, their subscribers have grown too: fatter and sicker with bigger bags filled with more pills and potions.

http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2009nl/jun/real.htm

healthyvegan · **Posted:** Fri Mar 02, 2012 10:32 am

we need to start our own CSHI (community supported health insurance) and just only cover acute illness/injury not caused by diet. It'd be dollars a month vs 100s. I looked into and there are too many laws and mandates about what insurance can and can't cover... I still think it could be done within a group of people and some Lyods of London cover policy.

stoumi · **Posted:** Fri Mar 02, 2012 10:57 am

I've been going through the Blue Shield of California website and I can't find any advantage. Although I took a wellness survey and earned a $50 debit card. Not too bad for about 15 minutes of my time.

Funny though, the results of the survey told me my diet was not adequate since it didn't include all the food groups. To improve my healthy, they recommended a "heathy" diet. Uh huh...

lmggallagher · **Posted:** Fri Mar 02, 2012 2:57 pm

I am stunned that this Unity Health Insurance offers this in Wisconsin!!!! I mean isn't that like the dairy capitol of the US and there is no subsidy for dairy through this plan.

This is the coolest thing I have read in along time, as far as the rest of the world catching on, and it gives me hope that it can happen and be viable elsewhere.

Thanks so much for posting and answering this question :nod:

cvhess · **Joined:** Thu Mar 01, 2012 1:55 pm **Posts:** 10

That is pretty funny. I forgot Wisconsin is the "dairy state."
I read up on this a bit further and found that there are 4 health systems in Wisconsin that pay the same rebate for a vegetable share at a CSA:

http://www.csacoalition.org/our-work/cs ... ce-rebate/

Has anyone else come across a health system that encourges members to eat more produce?

lmggallagher wrote:

I am stunned that this Unity Health Insurance offers this in Wisconsin!!!! I mean isn't that like the dairy capitol of the US and there is no subsidy for dairy through this plan.

This is the coolest thing I have read in along time, as far as the rest of the world catching on, and it gives me hope that it can happen and be viable elsewhere.

Thanks so much for posting and answering this question :nod:

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