News on Wellness Incentives & Punishments

Here's an update about an employer that imposes a financial penalty on employees who opt out of wellness programs.

Employees of the city of Kennesaw, Georgia, will face a surcharge on their insurance premiums if they smoke or have a high risk of chronic disease but don't participate in the city's wellness program.

In one example cited in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution article, a 350-pound member of the city's police force avoids $1,300 in health care premium penalties annually by participating in the programs.

The article has a good roundup of other wellness plans in use in Georgia, and how they try to walk the line between providing incentives for healthy behavior and punishing unhealthy behavior.

As I've written previously, it can get tricky to figure out how to design a wellness incentive plan that stays on the right side of the law.

If you have questions about this, drop me a note to see if we can help.