Today, people are already judged by society for their weight, height and wealth, but are employees now being judged by their employer and insurance company? CVS, the popular drug store chain, found itself in hot water when it implemented a policy forcing employees to visit a doctor and release the results of their visit publically.
Officials at CVS stated that employees who decide to use its healthcare program have until the first of May in 2014 to visit a doctor. During this visit, CVS employees must have their weight, height, blood pressure and other levels measured. If employees do not comply, they’ll have to pay an extra $600/year for health insurance.
Some disagree with this policy, citing privacy issues in the workplace, but others in favor say it’s the type of policy that promotes healthy living habits. Both sides of the argument have valid points, but when does it get to be too much?
The drug store chain says its "benefits program is evolving to help our colleagues take more responsibility for improving their health and managing health associated costs."
And UT Medical Center, an obvious proponent of such a policy, says that it provides its employees several ways to stay healthy. For example, the medical center provides healthy food options to employees in the cafeteria, low-cost gym memberships and available health counselors to help employees reach their health goals.
"Our whole goal is to promote a healthy environment," explained Rhonda McAnally, who works at the hospital.
While some argue that paying more for health insurance because they would rather not reveal their weight or height is an invasion of privacy, others suggest such a policy is helping to keep employees healthy and happy.
Edited by
Braden Becker
