Your topic to the Health Council was “Employer Liberties in Hiring and Health.” What are those liberties, in summary?The presentation centered on what employers and health insurers can and cannot do under the auspices of “wellness programs.” Those are employer or insurer-sponsored programs designed to improve employee health, lowering insurance costs and increasing productivity. The legal framework in which such programs are tested and operate is complicated and implicates several laws, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. This creates both opportunities to install meaningful programs as well as pitfalls and legal exposure. The key is a carefully created plan.
