CVS Introduces Health Screening For Employees With Penalty for Non-Compliance

A new policy by CVS Pharmacy requires every one of its nearly 200,000 employees who use its health plan to submit their weight, body fat, glucose levels, and other vitals or pay a monthly fine.

Employees who agree to this testing will see no change in their health insurance rates, but those who refuse will have to pay an extra $50 per month — or $600 per year — for the company’s health insurance program. All employees have until May 1, 2014, to make an appointment with a doctor and record their vitals. Critics are calling the policy coercion, and worrying that CVS or any other company might start firing sick workers. CVS responds that it is following all HIPAA requirements, and that they never see the results.

While many questions remain about whether this will actually achieve improved health status and outcomes, such an aggressive tactic may become more popular in the future as employers seek to rein in rising health care costs.