Nearly every large employer offers some type of wellness program, but if your team feels you’ve “been there, done that,” maybe it’s time to revisit your definition of wellness. With the expansion of mindfulness, meditation, and yoga in the west, modern wellness applications are so much more than just eating veggies and stepping on a scale.
Topics: wellness incentives, wellness programs, healthy lifestyles, HR Elements
On August 22, 2017, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia held that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) failed to provide a reasoned explanation for its decision to adopt 30 percent incentive levels for employer-sponsored wellness programs under both the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) rules and Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) rules.
The court declined to vacate the EEOC's rules because of the significant disruptive effect it would have. However, the court remanded the rules to the EEOC for reconsideration.
Topics: wellness, wellness incentives, UBA Health Plan Survey, employee benefit trends
The latest round of regulations in the area of wellness (what employers can and can’t do) is proving to be a hotly contested topic. Employers are eager to offer incentives as a way to both encourage wellness and also lower health care costs. However, employee privacy is on the line, and some argue, at risk. Even though many employers may never see the data collected, there is a philosophical debate brewing about what should – or should not – be permitted.
Topics: wellness, wellness incentives, Group health plans, UBA Health Plan Survey, health care trends, Jason Reeves
While wellness programs and offerings continue to evolve among new trends and regulations, there are seven key components that tend to drive the most successful and effective programs we have seen with our clients.
Topics: employee wellness, wellness incentives, wellness programs, LHD Benefit Advisors, Jennifer Jones, disease management
Adopting best practices for wellness program designs are important in successfully investing in a workplace environment focused on well-being. Finding the right partners, tools, and interventions, and creating an incentive design that hits the sweet spot to motivate employees to participate are all essential. Many organizations fall short and wellness programs often stall when employees do not understand the program. Whether they question an organization’s intent in offering a wellness program, the program components are too overwhelming or not communicated well, or employees simply do not understand how programs affect them, educating employees on wellness program options is crucial to a program’s success.
Topics: wellness incentives, employee benefits, wellness programs, health care cost containment, Kathy Ellis, Granite Group Benefits
Have you ever heard the quote, “If you take care of your people, they’ll take care of your business?" It’s great advice and goes beyond ensuring that they get a paycheck each month. Does your company show that they care about an employee’s total well-being? You should, especially considering that an employee’s physical and mental well-being can affect productivity and consequently cost the company money. One great way to show employees that you are invested in them, and to help them stay healthy, is through a wellness program.
Topics: wellness, wellness incentives, employee benefits, health care, The Wilson Agency, cost of health care, Sara Saidi
Federal agencies recently released a Proposed Rule to amend regulations and provide guidance on implementing Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as it relates to employer wellness programs.
Topics: discrimination, wellness incentives, wellness programs, PPACA Affordable Care Act, Group health plans, Americans with Disabilities Act, ADA
By Josie Martinez, Senior Partner and Legal Counsel
EBS Capstone, A UBA Partner Firm
Topics: wellness, ACA, employee wellness, wellness incentives, UBA, health care reform, PPACA
