Kevin Eberly's Blog | Confronting America's Obesity Epidemic

Employers working to better the health of their company faced a recent setback. On April 30 the IRS ruled that most wellness programs cannot be included in minimum healthcare coverage, meaning requiring employees to participate in company-sponsored health programs won’t be as simple as previously thought.

Under the Affordable Care Act, employers are required to offer a minimum benefits coverage for full-time employees, which includes a healthcare package, or pay a steep fine if they choose to forgo providing coverage. The only wellness program that will qualify for the minimum benefits package is smoking cessation programs.

The IRS cited the potential for many wellness programs to be discriminatory, putting sick workers at a disadvantage for lower premiums, as the reason for excluding wellness programs from the minimum benefits package.

It’s an unfortunate ruling considering more than two-thirds of adults in the U.S. are overweight or obese, which, like smoking, is a condition that needs to managed over time and is costing employers thousands of dollars per year.

Managing obesity requires a strong support system, and organized wellness programs provide that. It takes time, dedication, and motivation, which, especially when in the form of cash, can be very effective.

Although I am disappointed with the ruling, it does not mean wellness has no place in the office.

It’s worth the investment to provide wellness programs to your employees—financially and for the success of your company—even if it means just taking a few minutes out of the day to walk around the office and assess the overall health of your workers.

Interact with your employees. Listen to their concerns. Maybe an at-risk individual is scared to make a change in his or her habits. It’s understandable; change isn’t easy. However, listening to your employees can help you determine a wellness program that will attract the most participation. For example, if the majority of your employees say they don’t have the time for wellness, you can consider making a wellness program convenient, potentially making it a part of the workday to encourage higher participation.

Make it a fun part of your company’s culture. Studies show financial incentives encourage healthy behaviors. Consider a little friendly corporate wellness competition. Have employees agree to sign up for a wellness program and offer small rewards at the end of each week for a certain period of time. It can even be as small as $10 gift cards, but the camaraderie and support from the workplace will motivate a larger number of people to participate. The employee that loses the highest percentage of body fat, for example, will receive a larger financial reward.

Educate your employees. An AP-NORC Center survey of 1,011 adults nationwide found about half of people think their weight is healthy despite statistics that show two-thirds of adults in the U.S. are overweight or obese. Consider hosting health seminars as part of on-the-job training and have a wellness program accessible to begin immediately following a lecture. If employees don’t realize they need to make a change, they won’t. You have to bring the issue to the forefront of your employees’ minds.

Please check Agree or Disagree: Do you agree to the following terms?
“I pledge to keep my weight under control by maintaining a BMI less than 30. If my BMI is currently above 30, I agree to participate in a weight loss program.”

What if a candidate could be removed from consideration for a job by refusing to check “agree” to this question on an application? Or, what if breaking this agreement was grounds for increased health care premiums or higher deductibles?

Is this a crazy proposal? Is it smart? Forward-thinking?

Some companies already have health pledges, similar to the one above, requiring employees to agree to abstain from smoking. Before a potential employee submits an application, he or she is required to check a little white box, signifying his or her agreement to not use tobacco products.

So, requiring prospective employees to agree to keep their weight under control isn’t such a far-fetched idea. Cancer is the No. 2 killer in America, behind heart disease, which sits at No. 1. You prevent certain types of cancer by not smoking; you prevent heart disease, in many cases, by maintaining a healthy weight.

When you put the facts in perspective, suddenly the proposal doesn’t seem quite so crazy.

The most recent company to take a stand toward health is CVS. The company announced all employees who receive health insurance must report their weight, body fat, and glucose levels to the insurer. If employees refuse, they have to pay a $600 penalty. It’s not necessarily a health pledge, but it’s a step in that direction.

Clearly you can’t and shouldn’t discriminate against a potential employee because he or she is overweight, but you can promote a healthy workplace by having an overweight or obese employee pledge to complete a weight loss program. By requiring overweight employees to complete a program with proven results like The Center for Medical Weight Loss, you will see a significant difference in employee productivity and satisfaction and a decrease in overall healthcare costs over time.

If employees are willing to sign a health pledge and stick to it, they should be rewarded with lower premiums. If there is no incentive, you risk losing motivation. This can go a long way in ensuring both healthy habits and preventative care.

Encouraging employees to improve their health can be a positive initiative. If the payer of healthcare costs has knowledge of who is engaging in behavior that could drive costs up for everyone, he or she can begin to figure out how the costs could be reflective of individual healthy living profiles. The key will be to know where to stop, so genetic or pre-existing conditions do not cause penalties or higher premiums to be enacted.

Each company is different. In order to determine whether requiring a health pledge is beneficial for your company, you need to evaluate employee population and company culture.

What do you think? Is a health pledge a good or bad idea?

We spend the majority of our time at the workplace—at least eight hours a day. Most of us are glued to our chairs, have some sort of caffeine beverage within reach, and keep a secret stash of candy, chips, or pretzels to comfort us when we push our stress threshold. Case in point, we’re obese.

The cure to America’s obesity problem starts with building a healthy workplace. It’s where we develop most of our eating habits—healthy or unhealthy—and we take these habits home with us. As an executive of a company, you have the power to encourage healthier habits. Here’s how you can trade in a no. 2 cheeseburger with a side of fries combo for a healthy workplace combo with a side of extra productivity.

Stock the break room with healthy snacks. A break room filled with cookies, doughnuts, and chips won’t do your employees’ health any good, and it affects more than their waistlines. Fattening and sugary foods often come with a crash, which could be why eyes start glazing over in those late afternoon meetings. It’s time companies trash the junk and offer healthier snacking alternatives like fruits, nuts, nutrition bars, and even baked chips. The couple extra bucks you spend on healthier snacks could save you thousands of dollars in medical costs.

Encourage movement. The most recent buzz in the news is that sitting is the new smoking. New research shows spending too much time in a chair can increase your risk of heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. Encourage your employees to really take a whole hour for lunch and to use a portion of that time to be on their feet. Even better, next time you have a meeting with just one or two people, take it outside and make it a walking meeting.

Be a role model. Setting a good example can make all the difference. Healthy living is a domino effect. If one person leads, others are likely to follow. Sometimes it’s just about taking that first step.

Offer wellness programs. Some employees may require professional help to achieve better health. An employee will be more inclined to participate in these programs if their company covers at least part of the cost. However, it’s important to invest in a program with proven results. The Center for Medical Weight Loss comes with a weight loss guarantee. Physicians are specifically trained to coach, mentor, and motivate patients struggling with weight. Providing employees with discounts to health clubs is an obvious and good incentive, but it’s not compelling enough for everyone. A program like CMWL keeps employees on top of their weight loss plan because the program requires meeting with a physician regularly.

Have fun. A fun workplace is a healthy workplace. Laughter and a positive attitude go a long way. When workers genuinely enjoy what they are doing, they are more productive, creative, and feel less stressed. You can have fun and get a lot of work done too!