Corporate Wellness Programs and Incentives

Many employers today have provided wellness programs to their employees as a way to assist employees in getting fit and addressing medical and lifestyle concerns and to reduce the rising costs of health care. Getting employees to avail themselves of the services can be a challenge and many employers have offered various types of rewards and incentives, and in some cases disincentives, to encourage employees to participate. While wellness programs can benefit both employers and employees, there are some potential legal risks. The focus of this paper is to review some of the common types of incentives offered and the key legislation impacting corporate wellness program incentives