On March 23, 2010 President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The new law will permit rewards such as premium discounts of up to 30% of the cost of coverage, for individuals who take an active role in his or her own health management.
There are some great details regarding wellness programs that were outlined in this bill which I'd like to share. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will:
• Provide grants for up to five years for small business employers to use in establishing wellness programs. (Funds appropriated for five years beginning in fiscal year 2011)
• Provide technical assistance and other resources to evaluate employer-based wellness programs.
• Conduct a national worksite health policies and programs survey to assess employer-based health policies and programs. (This study will be conducted within two years following enactment)
• Permit employers to offer employees rewards—in the form of premium discounts, waivers of cost sharing requirements, or benefits that would otherwise not be provided—of up to 30% of the cost of coverage for participating in a wellness program and meeting certain health-related standards. The reward limit may be increased to 50% of the cost of coverage if deemed appropriate.
• Employers must offer an alternative standard for individuals for whom it is unreasonably difficult or inadvisable to meet the original health-related standard. (Effective January 1, 2014)
• Establish ten, state pilot programs by July 2014 to permit participating states to apply similar rewards to companies participating in wellness programs, and expand programs in 2017 if found effective.
• Require a report on the effectiveness and impact of wellness programs. (Report due three years following enactment)
Another exciting detail in the bill is that it will require chain restaurants and food sold from vending machines to disclose the nutritional content of each item. (Proposed regulations issued within one year of enactment)
To learn more, please click on this link: http://healthyamericans.org/assets/files/Summary.pdf
In addition, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), a global HR professional organization, has an article on their website that provides important details to take note of: http://www.shrm.org/Publications/HRNews/Pages/WellnessReformBoast.aspx
This is an exciting time for wellness!
