As calls for the EEOC to issue guidance on wellness programs continue, employees are on board with their employers involvement in health and wellness programs.
The majority of consumers (71%) say they want help from their companies in the form of programs and guidelines for health management, according to a HealthMine survey of 562 consumers with company-sponsored health plans.
Moreover, more than 75% of respondents believe an incentive would motivate them to take action to improve their health. Additionally, 67% say colleagues who are in a healthy weight range should be rewarded with a discount on their health insurance, and 52% believe that colleagues who adhere to medication for chronic disease should be rewarded for it.
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The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission came under fire during a U.S. Senate committee hearing on employer-sponsored wellness programs Thursday, with one witness calling on Congress to end the sorry state of affairs and uncertainty that have resulted from EEOC lawsuits against some employers with incentive-based wellness programs.
Last October, the EEOC filed a lawsuit against Honeywell over its wellness program, claiming the program violates the Americans with Disabilities Act and Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act by imposing penalties on employees who decline to participate in the companys biometric screening program.
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Employees, though, seem to have few qualms about their employers penalizing them for unhealthy behaviors, finds the HealthMine survey. Sixty-three percent, for example, believe that colleagues who smoke should pay more for their health care.
