September 9, 2013 — Programs to promote wellness and obesity reduction can be a tricky business for employers. Aided by a growing wellness industry, employers are gearing up to prod employees toward better health through financial incentives for things like weight loss and other health outcomes. But a new study in the Journal of Health Economics shows the limitations […]
August 31, 2013 — Employers are planning to begin rolling out strategic changes in health benefits with annual enrollment this fall for the 2014 plan year. Some are looking at the new heathcare exchanges as options. Others are increasingly relying on consumer-driven health plans. Consumer-driven health plans pair high-deductible insurance with a health savings account to cover out of […]
August 8, 2013 — Issues of privacy and integrity in workplace wellness programs are surfacing as more employers are preparing to implement incentives and penalties for health. Programs for two large public institutions — one for Penn State employees and one for Nebraska state government employees — are under fire. The program at Penn State will impose a $100 […]
May 31, 2013 — Final employer wellness rules issued this week by the Obama administration make one thing very clear: wellness programs must not be “a subterfuge for discriminating based on a health status factor.” Under these rules, the maximum penalty an employer can impose for not meeting wellness goals rises from 20% to 30% of an employee’s medical […]
May 20, 2013 — Data from the Healthy Blue Living wellness program was just published online in Translational Behavioral Medicine. And the wellness program presents a sunny picture of compliant employees with obesity wearing a pedometer that uploads their physical activity to the employer’s wellness program. But the fact is, these employees must participate and meet daily step count […]
May 6, 2013 — Entrepreneurs selling employee wellness programs are having their day in the sun. And why not? Employees spend most of their waking hours at work and the workplace has a huge impact on an employee’s health and risk of obesity. Who could possibly be opposed to promoting wellness? But the problem is that many, if not […]
April 29, 2013 — Simplistic — and false — notions of obesity as a lifestyle disease might lead one to think that occupational obesity risk for police officers is simply a function of what police officers eat and their physical activity. Dig a little deeper and you’ll find studies that suggest a more complex picture. Recent studies suggest that […]
April 23, 2013 — Some companies are stirring up their employees by trying to tell them how much they should weigh and penalizing those who don’t meet the bar. But it’s worth a look at the very different practices of a top tier employer like Google. And what you’ll find is Google putting its energy into into a healthy […]
April 18, 2013 — Employers are talking a lot about employee wellness programs, with some stirring up controversy by weighing their employees and imposing penalties on employees with obesity. A pair of new studies adds to the understanding that prolonged sitting time at work is a significant risk for cardiovascular disease, obesity, and a host of health problems. This growing body of […]
April 4, 2013 — The recent news of CVS demanding employees turn over weight, body fat, and other health data or pay a penalty stirred up quite a controversy. Regulations for wellness programs under Obamacare are on their way to becoming final. Health advocates are concerned that these new regulations might open the door to schemes that unfairly punish […]
