Wellness Programs 

Building Healthy Habits

Many retailers encourage their employees to participate in voluntary wellness programs.  Retailers appreciate that a foundation of healthy habits can last a lifetime.  In addition, they have embraced the idea that investing in a healthy workforce today not only lays the foundation for a healthier society, but also ensures that workers are more productive during their time on the job.

Examples of wellness programs currently offered by employers include:

·         Weight loss.

·         Smoking cessation.

·         Incentives to see a primary care physician,

·         Diabetes control.

·         Nutrition/healthy eating programs.

·         Store discounts on healthy foods.

·         Gym discounts.

·         Group counseling sessions.

·         Store gift card incentives for signing up and/or participating in wellness programs.

Policy considerations 

Retailers want to continue investing in wellness programs and urge Congress to help eliminate legal barriers to expanding these programs.  These barriers include:

• Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act (GINA) laws, which make it difficult for wellness coaches to counsel individuals on care. RILA supports policies that fully enable wellness counselors to provide sound health care advice that considers the many factors affecting the individual’s heath.
  
  
• Current gift tax laws, which require that employees pay tax on any employer-provided subsidy or reward for participating in a wellness program with a value $25 or more. RILA supports increasing the limit to $250 to encompass programs that produce real results such as subsidized gym memberships, weight loss classes and participation rewards, including personal electronic devices and gift cards.