ObamaCare weighs in: CVS tells employees to reveal personal health info — or pay up
Published March 21, 2013
FoxNews.com

Looks like ObamaCare may be rearing its head. In the wake of the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, CVS is telling its employees they need to reveal their height, weight, body fat percent and other personal information for health insurance purposes.
The Rhode Island-based company, which employs around 200,000 individuals, is telling workers who use its health insurance they need to have a wellness review done — or pay up.
CVS says it will pay for the health reviews and the information will go to a third party administrator of CVS’s benefits, not CVS itself. According to the company, CVS bosses will not be able to access their employees’ health records.
The idea is to incentivize healthy living. CVS says the idea is nothing new.
“The idea of an employee wellness plan is perfectly legal under the ADA. Courts held up these plans,” said Joshua Kersey, a Tampa labor attorney. He says with “Obamacare” looming in 2014, practices like this wellness review are likely to become more common, because a lot of employers are expecting to pay more for their workers’ health insurance.
“The more money it’s going to save the employer, the more incentive the employer has to affect these types of programs,” he said.
In CVS’s case, workers not comfortable getting the review done will have to pay a $600 annual penalty.
“It is voluntary because you’re welcome to get healthcare through someone else,” he said.
In a statement, CVS says it’s implemented the program to try and keep employees as healthy as possible, and help them manage their costs.
More news about cutting employee hours. Thank you, to everyone who voted for Obama. Hope these lost hours are directly affecting you!
Regal Cinemas cuts workweek for thousands, blames ‘Obamacare’
The largest movie theater chain in the country has cut the workweek of thousands of its employees, blaming President Obama’s health care law in a company memo that announced its decision.
Regal Entertainment Group scaled back shifts for non-salaried workers to part time, putting them under the threshold at which employers are required to provide health insurance, Fox News reports.
“To comply with the Affordable Care Act, Regal had to increase our health care budget to cover those newly deemed eligible based on the law’s definition of a full time employee,” the memo reads. “In addition, some managers have requested guidance on what they should tell those employees negatively impacted and, at your discretion, we suggest the following: To comply with the Affordable Care Act, Regal had to increase our health care budget to cover those newly deemed eligible based on the law’s definition of a full-time employee.”
“To manage this budget, all other employees will be scheduled in accord with business needs and in a manner that will not negatively impact our health care budget,” the announcement continued.
A number of colleges and businesses, such as Applebee’s and Olive Garden, have taken similar measures in order to cope with health care costs. Other business are passing the costs onto the customers.
“Mandating businesses to offer health care under threat of debilitating fines does not fix a problem, it creates one,” a Regal manager, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Fox News. “It fosters a new business culture where 30 hours is now considered the maximum in order to avoid paying the high costs associated with this law.
“In a time where 40 hours is just getting us by, putting these kind of financial pressures on employers is a big step in a direction far beyond the reach of feasibility for not only the businesses, but for the employees who rely on their success,” he said.
Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/apr/16/regal-cinemas-cuts-workweek-thousands-blames-obama/#ixzz2QfvP07CP
Follow us: @washtimes on Twitter