"The use of this seal is not an endorsement by the HR Certification Institute of the quality of the program. It means that this program has met the HR Certification Institute's criteria to be pre-approved for recertification credit."

"This program, has been approved for 1.5 (General ) recertification credit hours toward PHR, SPHR and GPHR recertification through the HR Certification Institute. Please be sure to note the program ID number on your recertification application form. For more information about certification or recertification, please visit the HR Certification Institute website at www.hrci.org."

Overview: What could be wrong with encouraging your employees to live a healthier lifestyle so that your company could save on the costs of its group health program? Such "encouragement" must be considered "voluntary" under many laws and what is truly "voluntary"? And, what right does an employer have to tell their employees how to live their lives anyway? Finally, given so many restrictions on how much information an employer can have on an employee's health information, how can an employer determine if the employee is complying with the program so as to provide the awards offered under the program?

Why should you attend: Americans are among the unhealthiest in the world and use the health care system more than any other country. Health care costs are at an all time high, and now companies are facing with the legal requirements of Obama-care. Statistically speaking, if individuals were healthier and did not use the health care system as much, our health care costs would be lower. Companies have for a number of years considered wellness programs as a way of encouraging their employees to live healthier lives which in turn would mean that they would not need to use the company's group health insurance as often. It seems that every seemingly logical solution comes with significant legal risks - and wellness programs are no exception. And, the courts are just getting around to answering some of these thorny questions!

Areas Covered in the Session:

• What is a wellness program?
• Do wellness programs make sense in addressing the rising costs of health care benefits?
• Privacy concerns of wellness programs
• HIPAA Requirements for wellness programs
• Wellness programs and the Americans with Disabilities Act
• The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act's "Wellness" Exception
• ERISA preemption
• Taxability of wellness programs
• Potential lifestyle discrimination claims arising from wellness programs

Who Will Benefit:

• Human Resource Managers
• Benefits Specialists
• Office managers
• Managers
• Supervisors