Getting healthy: issues to consider before implementing a wellness program.

Healthcare costs continue to rise. Employers struggle to provide health insurance for their employees. Wellness programs continue to gain popularity as a method of cost-control, but implicate a variety of federal and state laws, including privacy laws, discrimination prohibitions, laws governing health plans, tax laws, and more. Additionally, employers must consider the practical concerns of promoting employee participation and benefits to workers in wellness programs. Wellness programs are not difficult to form, but do require consideration of all of these issues. This article identifies and explains the legal and practical issues of which the employer considering implementing a new wellness program must be aware, and makes some suggestions on how to address those issues when forming a program.