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Health Compass rep pitches employer tax-savings app, facial-recognition monitoring to Columbus County Schools
Summary
At a February Columbus County Board of Education meeting, a Health Compass representative described a payroll-linked program he said could reduce employers' FICA tax burden and provide employee health monitoring via an app; board members asked about data storage, costs and next steps.
Larry Freeman, a representative of Health Compass, presented during the public-comments portion of a Columbus County Board of Education meeting in February and described a payroll-linked program he said could save participating employers and provide health monitoring for employees.
Freeman said the program uses an IRS “125 cafeteria plan” structure and an app that he described as providing seven vital-sign checks and facial-recognition–driven interactions. “It doesn't cost anything to have the app,” Freeman said, adding that the program’s design means employees would not see a change in net pay. He told the board the average savings per participating employee is about $500, and that amounts could vary “from $400 to $600” depending on wages.
Freeman addressed data-security concerns when asked whether the vendor’s servers are in the United States. A board member asked, “North America, is that the United States?” Freeman replied, “United States,” and said some location details were withheld for security and HIPAA reasons.
Freeman described additional services bundled with the program, including a counseling feature that he said would allow employees to speak repeatedly with the same clinician via the vendor’s app, and a monitoring feature that he said could alert workers — for example, outdoor workers who are overheated — to take protective actions. He provided an example of a user who was prompted to see a primary care provider after monitoring revealed a concern.
Freeman said the district-level next step would be an optional payroll report and a security upload that his company would use to generate an eligibility report showing projected savings per employee and per school. He said there is no obligation associated with submitting payroll data and that his team can answer questions if district leaders want more details.
Board members did not take action on the presentation; the superintendent’s office said it would respond to Freeman in the coming days about whether the district will pursue the technical eligibility report.
Votes at a glance: No formal board action was taken on the Health Compass presentation; it was a public comment and informational item.
