Employee Wellness Programs in 2017: ACA, ADA, GINA, and EEOC Mandates

Many forward-thinking HR professionals and executives have developed wellness programs to inspire and incent employees to adopt healthier lifestyles. That’s a great idea considering that a Harvard study showed these programs average a 6:1 ROI in health insurance savings and other tangible benefits.

But be advised. The legal landscape for workplace wellness programs is complex and constantly changing.

• The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has established rules for setting up and administering wellness programs
• The American Disabilities Act (ADA) and Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) have mandates regarding wellness programs. 
• The Equal Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has “final rules” for workplace wellness programs.

To add further complication…some of the newer guidelines are consistent with HIPAA regulations and some are not…

Within the last two years alone, many companies have been sued because their wellness programs failed to protect certain employees from discrimination.

Whether your organization has a well-established wellness program or is just looking into the possibility, every employer, regardless of size, must be well versed in the legal risks associated with these programs.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

To help get up to speed on this important issue, join workplace wellness expert Dr. Susan Strauss for this 90-minute webinar. She’ll cover:

• How your well-intended wellness plan might get you sued for discrimination
• Specific rules that apply to the two types of wellness programs under the ACA
• The legal trouble spots you must avoid when designing your wellness program – and how the ACA, ADA, GINA, and EEOC have changed the rules
• The best way to assess the specific health risks of your workforce – and how to determine which solutions are right for you
• Ways to prove that your Wellness program isn’t a waste of time and money
• Four standards required by the ACA to ensure nondiscrimination
• How HIPAA laws impact wellness programs
• How to design, develop, implement and evaluate a comprehensive wellness strategy incorporating the legal requirements

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Dr. Susan Strauss has been a workplace wellness consultant to a variety of small and medium sized companies. She was also the director of a comprehensive corporate wellness program including developing an in-house fitness center, designing educational programs, employee screenings, among others. She is a seasoned health educator as well as a national and international speaker, trainer and consultant on a variety of training and organization development issues. Her clients are from business, education, healthcare, law, and government organizations from both the public and private sector. In addition to her consulting and positions in wellness, Susan has held positions in training, organization development, and management which enable her to use her multitude of real life experiences to draw on in her training sessions.

She has presented to thousands of people over her career to a variety of audiences and receives outstanding evaluations. Susan is a registered nurse, has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and counseling, a master’s degree in community health, and a doctorate in organizational leadership.

Certification

This program has been approved for 1.5 recertification credit hour(s) through the HR Certification Institute (HRCI) & Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).