Health care exchanges and other issues related to the Affordable Care Act have garnered a great deal of attention. However, additional and less well-known ACA regulations went into effect on January 1. One of these impacts wellness programs, including the myriad initiatives employers have put in place to encourage employees to exercise, lose weight and otherwise improve their health to prevent illness, disability and its costs.
With these new regulations, worksite wellness programs are now part of a national public health strategy to address the increase in chronic diseases, which are predicted to cost the U.S. health care system an estimated $4.2 trillion annually by 2023.
