It’s an often-overlooked aspect of preventative health care. We’re told to eat right, exercise, and take doctor-prescribed medications on schedule and any vitamins or minerals. However, when it comes to the workplace, rarely is a focus on managing well being while you’re actually working. That may all change for the better soon.
In May, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued their final regulations for company wellness programs in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA). In a press release, the EEOC expressed new rules for ADA and GINA-compliant programs.
By design, the programs should first and foremost focus on maintaining good health within employees. Through collecting data from employees on their health history, companies can adequately deduce how to effectively promote positive health. However, like the EEOC press release states, this information is to be used for employees’ benefits and not merely an opportunity to delve into their respective health histories for general knowledge or research. The ADA and GINA prohibit the use of this data for anything other than wellness programs, as employers are not authorized to collect this information for their own benefit.
Previously, the concept of financial incentives for employees who enroll in these programs proved to be questionable, considering offering money for their well being felt more involuntary over voluntary (who doesn’t want more money?).
The new rules suggest that employers may “offer incentives of up to 30 percent of the total cost of self-only coverage” or “that the value of the maximum incentive attributable to a spouse's participation may not exceed 30 percent of the total cost of self-only coverage, the same incentive allowed for the employee.” Children are not allowed to participate in this incentive program.
The EEOC released several question and answer documents within the press release for businesses and small businesses to further understand the rules taking place, including some common definitions like what constitutes a wellness program.
While the Affordable Care Act has placed an emphasis on helping people achieve optimal health through health care and prevention, programs such as these will help facilitate that movement even further. In addition, these programs can open up a wider array of careers for those looking to work in health care, already one of the largest growing career fields.