Insurance Law Commons^™

Workplace Wellness Programs: Empirical Doubt, Legal Ambiguity, And Conceptual Confusion, Camila Strassle, Benjamin E. Berkman

William & Mary Law Review

Federal laws that protect workers from insurance discrimination and infringement of health privacy include exceptions for wellness programs that are “voluntary” and “reasonably designed” to improve health. Initially, these exceptions were intended to give employers the flexibility to create innovative wellness programs that would appeal to workers, increase productivity, and protect the workforce from preventable health conditions.

Yet a detailed look at the scientific literature reveals that wellness program efficacy is quite disputed, and even highly touted examples of program success have been shown to be unreliable. Meanwhile, the latest administrative regulations on wellness programs were vacated by a district …

Fundamental Mismatch: The Improper Integration Of Individual Liberty Rights Into Commerce Clause Analysis Of The Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act, Arthur J.R. Baker

University of Miami Law Review

No abstract provided.

Can Employers Put Genetic Information To Good Use, Kathleen C. Engel

Journal of Law and Health

In my talk today I am going to try to answer the question: Can employers put genetic information to good use? Preparing this talk was a challenge because it required me to switch sides of the table. Having represented plaintiffs in employment discrimination cases for ten years, my inclination is to focus on the ways that employers can use genetic information to the detriment of their workers. I chose to talk about the value of genetic information from the employers' perspective because I wanted to force myself to engage in a disciplined study of the issues, rather than simply don …

Pink Slip Introduction, Dena S. Davis

Journal of Law and Health

What has changed however, is the degree of worry and concern that people feel about the uses to which their genetic information can be put. When the HGP (Human Genome Project) began, a number of pundits were convinced that the "future knowledge" that genetic information can deliver to consumers and insurers alike would completely undermine the practice of private health insurance, and send our current system crashing to the ground. Needless to say, that has not happened; but with 42 million Americans currently without health insurance, and with insurance tightly entwined with employment, many people fear that genetic information will …

Legislation And Genetic Discrimination, Sharona Hoffman

Journal of Law and Health

State legislation addresses genetic discrimination in both employment and health insurance. Thirty-one states have passed laws that address genetic discrimination in employment. Approximately thirteen states prohibit employers from requiring applicants to undergo genetic testing as a condition of employment. Some states have more limited restrictions. Florida prohibits only the screening of applicants for the sickle-cell trait. Wisconsin requires employers to obtain written and informed consent from applicants prior to administering genetic tests, but does not preclude their utilization altogether. Some states establish exceptions that permit genetic testing that is job-related or that is conducted, with the employee's written and informed …