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Using Incentives in Workplace Wellness Programs: The Impact of Federal Employment Discrimination Laws
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Lindsay, Edie |
| Copyright Year | 2013 |
| Abstract | 2010, brought sweeping reforms to the United States health care delivery system. Among its many changes, the legislation provides an unprecedented emphasis on preventive care and wellness initiatives. One of these initiatives permits employers to offer worksite wellness programs to their employees and dependents, using incentives of up to 30 percent – and in some cases as high as 50 percent – of the cost of their health insurance benefits to induce participants to reach certain health outcomes or biometric standards. With a projected annual cost of $6,500 for single coverage when the law becomes effective in 2014, these incentives may be valued from $1,950 to $3,250. Such significant incentives have raised concern among some and gained praise from others. There is concern that " linking premiums and cost-sharing to health status will make the cost of insurance much higher for the very people who need health care most. … Research has shown that people with conditions like cancer, diabetes and heart disease are much less able to treat and manage their condition when their insurance costs are high. " 1 In contrast, business groups and industry leaders tout workplace wellness programs (WWPs) as one of the most effective ways to combat the rising cost of health insurance: " Employers of all sizes have embraced wellness-based incentives to help control costs, and companies are now looking at ways to design and optimize their programs to maximize their positive impact on health for both the organization and employees. " 2 Before looking more closely at the legal implications of implementing a WWP that uses incentives to the full extent permitted under the ACA, it may be instructive to present the history of the legislation that permits these significant incentives. Known as the " Safeway Amendment, " the wellness incentive provisions of the ACA were added under a Senate amendment based in large 3 " The key to achieving these savings is health-care plans that reward healthy behavior. As a self-insured employer, Safeway designed just such a plan in 2005 and has made continuous improvements each year. The results have been remarkable. During this four-year period, we have kept our per capita health-care costs flat (that includes both the employee and the employer portion), while most American companies' costs have increased 38% over the same four years. " 3 This " success story " was picked up by President Obama and Senators … |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1286&context=iph_theses&httpsredir=1&referer= |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1286&context=iph_theses |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://scholarworks.gsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1286&context=iph_theses |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
