Healthy Employees Get More Benefits

[LHerman]

It’s not unusual for a company to offer its employees a discount, but last month Whole Foods Market began offering employees discounts literally based on a sliding scale, with scale being the operative word. Depending on an array of screening parameters (cholesterol, blood pressure, BMI, being a non-smoker) employees can receive a larger “discount” by being healthier. My first thought is that this is counter-productive: the healthier you are, the more of a discount on food you receive, and the more weight you might gain! But I immediately shifted to the concept that this is discriminatory in many, many ways. Much of your health is based upon genetics. If you “picked” your parents well, you will likely have lower cholesterol, for example. The idea is a good one, and health should be encouraged, but I can’t imagine this will hold up in court. Regardless, what do you think about the idea?