Many companies these days offer a Health Risk Assessment to their employees
. Some companies do this by having employees fill out a form and others do so by asking questions and doing a blood screening on their employees. No matter which method your company is using they will probably entice you to take advantage of these health screenings and the discount off your health insurance that comes with them.
An HRA or Health Risk Assessment basically is a tool that allows you to see how your habits are factoring in to your health and what health issues you are putting yourself at risk for both now and down the road. Usually the assessment includes questions about the way you eat and sleep and other aspects of your daily life that may be affecting your health.
A good assessment will also include measurements of cholesterol, height, weight, blood pressure and blood sugar to help you better understand your current health issues as well. This health risk assessment benefits you because it helps you to take a closer look at the health issues that you face down the road and give you helpful tips and advice on how to make the changes you need to make towards a healthier lifestyle.
You should realize that the assessment is an asset to your employer and your health insurer. It will cost a whole lot less to insure someone who has less health problems than it will to insure a person with several health issues. Regular testing will be an incentive for you to make changes that will bring about improvements in your health and motivate you to make changes toward a healthy lifestyle.
An HRA can only benefit you and can allow you to become of health issues that you may not have even been aware of. Over time you will find that this increased awareness takes hold and you begin to think more about ways to improve your health and your life. Plus it is nice to take that extra deduction off your health insurance as well.