Starting in 2014 under the federal Affordable Care Act, there will be new regulations and incentives related to company wellness programs.
Small businesses that meet certain requirements will be able to take advantage of a $200 million pool of grant funding for creation of wellness programs.
The law increases the reward that employers can offer workers who live up to wellness goals, now limited to 20 percent of the cost of health coverage. And businesses with group insurance that offer incentive-based wellness programs won't be able to discriminate based on certain medical conditions.
“Having any form of legislation to support companies in these efforts is positive,” said Rebecca Vinton Dorn, WELCOM's executive director. Nationally, Met Life found that 61 percent of companies with more than 500 employees and 29 percent of small businesses surveyed offered some form of wellness program.