As a result of rising health care costs and the challenge to contain them, compa

Question

As a result of rising health care costs and the challenge to contain them, companies are trying to encourage employees to take better care of themselves, and some are even penalizing employees if they do not. Wal-Mart Inc. has announced that, starting in 2012, free smoking cessation programs will be made available to employees, but tobacco users will be charged higher health care premiums. A survey conducted by a consulting firm and the National Business Group on Health reports that 40 percent of large- and mid- sized companies will use penalties in their employee health care system, up from 18 percent in 2009. What do you think of businesses' attempts to decrease health care costs by helping employees to become healthier? What are the ethical issues associated with a firm's choice to cut health care costs by eliminating people who are unhealthy? What rights, duties, responsibilities, and consequences does this strategy imply? Do you think people who don't take care of themselves should be responsible for their increased health care costs? How would you feel personally if your past health conditions and current health practices were a part of an employment application?

Explanation / Answer

Corporations attempting to impart healthy practices to employees and cut health care costs is welcome. It is a necessity in the current situation when 75 percent of total health care spending in the U.S. is spent on chronic diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure( Cen tre for Disease Control and Prevention). A Health Affairs study shows that the cost of absenteeism drops by $2.37 per wellness dollar spent. A holistic approach to employee wellness helped J&J save $250 million over 10 years. Such practices help the company, the employees and the community as a whole

Ethical issue associated with a firm’s choice to cut healthcare costs by eliminating unhealthy people.What rights duties, responsibilities does this strategy imply

Health is a state of physical, social and mental well being. Literally, a vast majority is not perfectly healthy at any point in time. With such a situation most of us can be easily eliminated. This would be totally unethical and federal law does not allow for discrimination based on such conditions with few exceptions like jobs involving hard labor

Companies and industrial culture are one of the primary reasons for these unhealthy populations. Increased working hours, alcohol culture, long working hours and stressful life are a part of this society. Corporate America has not taken measures to control but rather conditions people to accommodate to these stressful situations.

so they should take responsibility and try to eliminate unhealthy policies rather than unhealthy people. They are duty bound to keep their employees healthy and productive. Also, I think each company has a right to ask its employees for productivity and follow healthy practices

People who don’t take care should be responsible for increased healthcare costs

I don’t think. The individual is part of the society and the society has a huge effect on his behavior. These unhealthy practices are not sporadic but rather widespread throughout the country. An individual alone cannot be held responsible for his behavior. Marketing a McDonald and asking the society to control junk foods is not a right thing to do. The society and corporations have a major role in unhealthy individuals

If past health practices and current health conditions are part of the employment application

I think it is right to inquire about the health conditions of applicants so that there is a job fit. A strenuous job with hard physical labor cannot be and should not be given to a person with some serious physical disorder. This helps to avoid future health disorders in already susceptible individuals. This will also induce individuals to search for jobs where they can fit well in the long run

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