New Health Affairs Brief on ACA's Effects on Workplace Wellness Programs

As of 2014, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010 will expand employers’ ability to reward employees who meet health status goals by taking part in wellness programs and, in effect, to require employees who don’t meet these goals to pay more for their employer-sponsored health coverage. There is widespread support for workplace wellness programs among both employers and employees, but at the same time, some consumer advocates argue that the ability to differentiate in health coverage costs among employees will amount to employers’ policing workers’ health—and that would be unfair. A new Health Affairs/RWJF Health Policy Brief explains trends in wellness programs, details changes in the law starting in 2014, and highlights issues to watch.