More companies are prodding employees to join wellness programs and undergo health screenings, and forcibly so, according to The New York Times.
Here are four things to know about the emerging trend.
1. Firms are upping the ante to help curb insurance costs, requiring workers to undergo screenings and participate in wellness programs or face the costs of higher premiums, according to the report. Kaiser Family Foundation data shows about half of large employers who offer screenings and wellness programs use financial incentives to make employees participate.
2. The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has taken issue against such wellness programs as well as requiring workers to submit medical information, according to the report.
3. According to the report, a federal judge ruled in Wisconsin last month employers could screen employees for health risks if they offer health plans, according to the report. In the case, a worker for plastics company Flambeau lost coverage after missing a deadline for a health screening. The worker later reenrolled after completing the screening.
4. This case, and several others cited in the report, will likely encourage more companies to use financial incentives to push employees into wellness programs and screenings, according to The New York Times.
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