Clarity for Employer Offered Wellness Program Incentives  

New regulations issued by the  Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) provide much needed clarification for employers offering wellness programs. Our research shows that 60% of large employers (those with 500 or more employees) have financial incentives in place for their programs. In a recent article on CNBC.com, Mercer’s Leslie Anderson explains that the new rules now “…recognize the value of incentives,” and that "wellness programs that ask employees or their spouses to complete health risk assessments or undergo biometric screening will need to comply with the notice and other rules required by the EEOC, including the 30 percent incentive limit." The rules state that the incentive for an employee may not exceed 30% of the total cost of self-only coverage. The maximum incentive attributable to a spouse's participation may also not exceed 30% of the total cost of self-only coverage, the same incentive allowed for the employee.

Go to full article: www.cnbc.com