EEOC Filed a Lawsuit Against Honeywell for Their Wellness Program
Wellness programs can help to benefit both employees and companies. The increased well-being of employees, as a result of the right wellness program, can help them to be more productive, which in return helps the company. However, there has been some significant push back from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or EEOC, of wellness programs that have been enacted in three major employers.
The EEOC has filed a lawsuit against Honeywell, the technology manufacturer giant, claiming that their wellness program violates the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act and Americans with Disabilities Act since penalties are imposed on employees who choose to not participate in their biometric screening program.
Honeywell has called the lawsuit “frivolous,” saying that the EEOC “is unfamiliar with the details of our wellness programs” and is completely “out of step with the health care marketplace and with the core intent of the Affordable Care Act to provide expanded access and improve health care to all Americans.”
Nobody really knew how the EEOC would respond to different health incentives, especially because incentives are tied to medical information and improving health. Steve Wojcik, the vice president of public policy at the National Business Group on Health, or NBGH, says that “it is too early to know exactly how the lawsuit is going to play out, but overall, employers are looking for consistent and clear messages from the government on how much employer sponsored wellness programs are supported.”
Even with looming lawsuits, most employers are committed to wellness programs. Almost half of all employers who already have wellness programs in place have plans to either increase or maintain their funding and investment in wellness programs in coming years.
For all of your wellness program needs and to ensure that your Orange County business is benefiting as much as it possibly can, contact Pacific Group, with locations in Palos Verdes Estates and Laguna Hills, California.
(Information source: http://ebn.benefitnews.com/news/ebn_hc_wellness_disease/wellness-programs-in-2015-what-employers-need-to-know-2745110-1.html)