Charging disabled people more for health care is illegal. But what about ... charging non-disabled people less?Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's new bookListen to Mike's new podcastLinks! A Review of the U.S. Workplace Wellness Market"Wellness" Based Healthcare is a Scam2013 Rand ReportWorkplace Wellness Produces No Savings\Workplace Wellbeing Is a ScamEmployers should disband employee weight control programsUsing Incentives in Workplace Wellness ProgramsCoerced into HealthCurrent Trends in Reducing Cardiovascular Risk Factors in the USThe effectiveness of worksite nutrition and physical activity interventions for controlling employee overweightManaging Manifest Diseases, But Not Health Risks, Saved PepsiCo Money Over Seven YearsThe Dubious Empirical and Legal Foundations of Workplace Wellness ProgramsToward A Critical Theory of Corporate WellnessThe development and growth of employer-provided health insuranceThe Ideological Construction Of RiskWellness Incentives In The WorkplaceA Fatter Butt Equals a Skinnier WalletThe Outcomes, Economics, and Ethics of the Workplace Wellness IndustryWhat’s Bad about Wellness? Support the show
Aubrey and Michael discuss the effectiveness and ethics of workplace wellness programs, which offer rewards for meeting specific health and wellness metrics.
In this bonus episode, the hosts examine what workplace wellness programs really entail, from offering more time off to obscure practices, and share stories from listeners about some truly bizarre practices.
Corporate wellness programs can bring personal health information and weight paradigms into one's relationship with their employer, leading to a culture of body and behavior assessments. Wellness plans with boss involvement can cause bullying and negatively impact employee well-being.
Workplace wellness programs have a complicated history, with early iterations being more about productivity and eugenics than actual health benefits for employees. With the rise of health care costs in the 70s and 80s, employers began implementing more comprehensive wellness programs.
The wellness industry has turned to quack science to make its products sound more scientific despite the lack of evidence behind them. This is due to a gap between medical institutions and patients where the latter feel uncared for, leading to the adoption of the lifestyle risk paradigm.
Despite the claims of corporations and insurers that workplace wellness programs improve health and lower costs, academic articles show that this is not the case and have been debunked for decades. This practice continues to negatively affect everyone involved.
The final regulations added language to employer-provided health insurance to ensure that programs have a reasonable chance of improving the health of participants, are not discriminatory, and not overly burdensome. Additionally, HIPAA was enacted in 1996 to prevent discrimination in employer-provided health insurance.
The idea that wellness programs are designed to cater to non-disabled people reinforces the notion that disabled and fat people are to blame, and that thin and able-bodied people are doing the right thing. This ableist narrative is strengthened by the Republican stance that government regulations are obstructing employers from offering more incentivized wellness programs.
This podcast delves into the harms of corporate wellness programs and how difficult it is to reconcile such programs with federal laws that aim to restrict employer’s ability to discriminate among their employees. The podcast highlights the negative effects of such programs and how they can lead to unintended harms.
The podcast discusses how disclosing personal health information at the workplace can lead to possible discrimination, while also mentioning sneaky ways that companies implement health plans in a discriminatory way. It also touches on the stigma and difficulties that fat people face when it comes to accessing gyms and fitness spaces.
The iThrive program, a health and wellness initiative at the University of Illinois, showed no significant benefit in measurable health metrics, only in self-reported outcomes. The study suggests that it may not be an effective tool for managing healthcare costs and improving health outcomes.
Fat people often experience over-treatment or bad treatment from healthcare providers, leading to unnecessary tests, misdiagnosis, and prescriptions. Healthcare spending is mainly driven by hospitalizations, not chronic risk factors, although the fee-for-service model encourages doctors to provide more services.
Workplace wellness programs are being heavily criticized for being ineffective and fake however, smoking cessation programs are exceptional in helping people quit smoking.