Welcome to the World Congress - Strategic Leadership for the Health Care Industry

Wendy's put the kibosh on its medical inflation by offering a health savings account. The fast-food chain started offering the HSA as the only coverage option for workers last year.

Jeff Cava, Wendy's executive vice president of HR, notes, "We held premiums completely flat. That was the first time that happened in the history of the company."

Health claims costs fell by 14% from 2004 to 2005, and claims for this year are projected to be 4% less than last year. Roughly 65% of employees contributed to an HSA last year and 45% contributed this year. About 90% of HSA-users had account balances at the end of 2005, and the average balance was $600. The funds stashed in HSAs totaled $4 million. Wendy's contributes 60% of the deductible to workers' HSAs.

"I think the key here was the focus on preventive coverage," Cava explains. “We're trying to change behavior. If it's about saving money, then you've missed the point. It has to be a sustained change in behavior that leads to a sustained improvement in health."