Little Rock insurance agency owner Greg Hatcher works where business and fitness intersect: the health insurance industry.
Bio:
Current Position: Founded The Hatcher Agency in Little Rock in 1990.
Education: Graduated in 1983 with a degree in public relations from Alma College in Alma, Mich. In 2008, he was named to the school’s board of trustees.
Civic: The Hatcher Agency was recognized for philanthropy by the Arkansas Community Foundation in 2006. Greg Hatcher is president of the Arkansas Wrestling Association, which led the effort to introduce competitive wrestling in Arkansas high schools in 2008.
Q: What is lacking in our health care system and in federal health care reform to encourage fitness?
Health care reform allows companies to charge premiums up to 20 percent higher for employees who don’t participate in a wellness program, but those companies lose their “grandfather” status and have to add benefits. There should be more incentives for employees to make these monumental changes, because we’re dealing with adults who are set in their ways.
But if we’re truly going to change the fitness of America, we have to start with the kids. We have to make physical education mandatory in every grade. Children must be taught that fitness is a part of everyday life, just like sleeping, eating and going to school or work. Kids need to be taught how to eat right and the causes of high blood pressure, obesity and heart disease.
As the father of five, I know it is an absolute battle to raise kids to eat right and stay fit. Our country is raising kids on chicken fingers and fries, soft drinks and dessert every day, and they get no exercise at school. Even those who aren’t overweight as children wake up with horrible habits that are hard to change, that shorten their lifespan and make them less productive.
Q: Would requiring individuals to have “skin in the game” help control health care costs?
Just like a high deductible on your car insurance or the knowledge that turning in a claim raises your rates, paying more out of pocket will help control health care costs.
People with modest office visit co-pays and prescription drug cards don’t even know what the cost of their health care claim is, and President Obama’s health care overhaul will raise costs by lowering co-pays and requiring that preventive care be covered 100 percent.
If everyone had to pay the first $2,000 a year out of pocket before any insurance kicked in, people would scream but they would make better choices. They would weigh the benefits of a drug. They would decide to get in shape. They would negotiate prices with the pharmacy and the doctor. I don’t think these tough-love policies will happen in my lifetime because there would be an outcry if people had to pay those kind of expenses every time their child was sick.
The best way to save money in the long run is to get schools and corporate America on wellness plans. My agency represents a program called Communit-Y Health Network that offers employees discounts if they participate and charges them more if they don’t, and there are other incentive programs on the market.
Q: Describe your fitness regimen.
Years of diving for softballs at shortstop caused a hairline fracture that eventually required a hip replacement four years ago. I no longer compete in sports like softball, soccer, tennis and road races.
Instead, my regimen includes weights with a personal trainer two days a week, followed by 30 minutes on a stationary bike and doing some stretching afterwards. On the days I do not see my trainer, I ride a bike at my house for 30 minutes to an hour, and I kill two birds with one stone by reading the newspaper while I ride.
Then I do pushups, sit-ups and stretching, and I mix in some weightlifting exercises. I bicycle outdoors when the weather permits. I also get a massage once a week.
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