IDAHO FREEDOM FOUNDATION

The Idaho Freedom Foundation asked CEURA Chairman ElJay Waite if participation in the wellness program was offered to those whose tax dollars helped fund it. "We participated with the YMCA, and let them administer it, and it's a partnership with businesses, not individuals. Anyone who was an employee of Canyon County, or the two school districts the first year, because we chose the government partners first, realizing that would have a good impact on taxpayers, and those folks who wanted to reduce costs, and then once we did that the first year, we had some private corporations come in and participate. So, we left it up to the YMCA to promote it, it was on their dime, and then we paid based on those who participated, and luckily they were able to get full participation for the commitment we made to them each year." Waite went on to say the program helped reduce workman's compensation claims among the employees who participated. Perhaps, but in regard to at least one agency, that claim was not accurate. The IFF obtained the workman's comp records from Canyon County for the years 2007-09, the year before the wellness program subsidy began, and the two years of the subsidy. According to those public records, workman's comp claims were higher in 2008 and 2009 than they were in 2007, in terms of both the number of claims and the total cost of those claims. We also requested the workman's comp records from the Vallivue and Caldwell School Districts, but at the time of this writing, had yet to receive them. Why were taxpayers excluded from the wellness program? We asked Scott Curtis why the taxpaying public wasn't invited to participate in the taxpayer-funded subsidy. He said they wanted businesses to see that healthier employees could save them money. "It was seen as a short-term program. Part of the program was for us to have some focus groups, that we could show change, and the businesses recognize the value to the business, so they could then pick up the subsidy, which is what has happened with Simplot. But if you do that with every individual, then you just bring them in, but after their short-term subsidy, they are the ones who have to pick up the subsidy." So is that to say that a private taxpaying citizen wouldn't renew their Y membership after the short-term subsidy expired? "No, I couldn't say that.