Is It Necessary to Incent Organizations to Initiate Employee Health Promotion Initiatives?

Employee Health Promotion Incentives may seem like an effective way to get workers excited about Employee Health Promotion – but is it wise?

This helps and encourages businesses to understand the importance of maintaining a healthy employees, not only for the welfare of its workers, but as well as the welfare of the corporate bottom line … then, yes, it could be necessary.

Tax Breaks as Employee Health Promotion Incentives

In 2007, two senators decided to band together to create the “Healthy Workforce Act.” This act is designed to encourage businesses to keep workers healthy and prevent disease. The senators believed that having a country focused on “well care” versus “sick care” would decrease the overall costs of healthcare for everyone. They decided to start with America’s employees.

The legislation, introduced by Iowa Senator Tom Harkin and Oregon Senator Gordon Smith, states that businesses would receive a Employee Health Promotion incentive – a fifty percent tax credit – if they offer to their workers a Employee Health Promotion Program that meets the following criteria:

1) A health awareness and education component, which could include health risk assessments and health screenings.
2) A behavioral change component – such as counseling, seminars, or self-help materials to empower workers to lead healthier lifestyles.
3) A supportive environment component – including providing meaningful incentives to participating workers, such as a reduction in medical premiums or allowing workers to engage in walking health promotion programs during the workday.
4) The creation of an staff member engagement committee – which would tailor the Employee Health Promotion Program to the needs of the employees at a particular corporation.

If this legislation gets passed, many businesses will be scrambling to offer Employee Health Promotion Initiatives in hopes of receiving the Employee Health Promotion Incentives.