Company Wellness Programs Get Tax Credits
May 16, 2009 by Cherie Burbach
Filed under Women's Health
I like the idea of more wellness programs as a way to combat health care costs. Why not focus on the positive, an encourage people to take better care of themselves rather than punish them for getting sick? Now, congress is “planning to give employers sweeping new authority to reward employees for healthy behavior, including better diet, more exercise, weight loss and smoking cessation.”
Employers will get tax credits and other incentives for offering federally approved wellness programs.
What do you think of this movement? Will healthier employees mean a healthier nation?
Image: sxc.hu.
This is great move by Congress. My company currently has a Wellness program installed and if they can get tax credits for it, that’s even better. Our program rewards “Wellness Points” for activities such as softball games, running a mile, lifting weights, or even simply taking the stairs. By completing goals such as quitting smoking or losing a pre-determined weight, employees can also be rewarded with a small cash reward. I feel that this program has helped me become a lot more aware of my bad habits. It also gives me that extra incentive to stick to a goal, knowing that I’ll be rewarded when I complete my challenge.