Starting May 1, all employees of CVS will have to agree to report their weight, body fat, and blood glucose levels or pay $50 more per month for their employee-sponsored health insurance.
CVS is only the latest in a series of companies to ask for employees’ private health care information, either in the guise of improving worker health or as part of a movement to curb health care costs.
“This is an incredibly coercive and invasive thing to ask employees to do,” said Patient Privacy Rights founder Dr. Deborah Peel, in an interview with the Boston Herald.
Opponents point out that that plans like these are financially punitive for people with certain body types, not necessarily based on accurate measures of health, and might someday be used to discriminate against people with a history of health problems.
Regardless, it’s something that we’re likely to see more, as insurance costs continue to skyrocket and employers look for ways to save money.
Tell Us What You Think
We want to hear from you! Should overweight employees pay more for health insurance? Leave a comment or join the discussion on Twitter, using the hashtag #MakeItHappen.
More from PayScale
Obesity Bias at Work: Can Your Weight Affect Your Salary?
Building Your Life’s Board of Directors
Work Spouses: Taboo or New Tradition?
(Photo Credit: opensourceway/Flickr)
Leave a Reply