Targeting Employee Lifestyles, Companies Take Aim at Rising Premiums

Get Healthy: Smokers and people suffering from obesity are feeling under the gun from employers, some of whom are imposing financial penalties and extending credits to encourage workers to get fit. Recent research by the Milken Institute tabulates the economic impact of chronic care at $1.3 trillion per year. But how far should companies go in ensuring that their employees pursue healthy lifestyles? And aren’t such efforts tantamount to telling people how to live their lives? Those questions and others are being debated as health insurance premiums continue to skyrocket. The Wall Street Journal reported on an Indiana bank that increased employee deductibles for health insurance from $500 to $2,500, while at the same time extending credits of $500 to employees who successfully pass certain health screenings, including for cholesterol, blood pressure and body fat.