GOP looks to protect employer wellness programs in ObamaCare

Republicans are trying to fend off a legal attack against one of the few pieces of ObamaCare that has achieved bipartisan support in Congress.

A half-dozen Republicans in the House and Senate introduced legislation Tuesday to protect an employee wellness program that discounts healthcare costs for workers who demonstrate healthy lifestyles.

Under the increasingly popular program, employers can discount premiums as much as 50 percent for workers who quit smoking or maintain healthy cholesterol levels.

But officials with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) have said some provisions of the program are illegal, such as benefit rules that impose financial penalties unless employees and spouses take medical tests.

The Republicans, including the chairmen of the Senate Finance and Health committees, say their bill would clarify the legality of the programs and “eliminate confusion” caused by the EEOC lawsuits.

“At a time when Obamacare is creating uncertainty for employers and employees, this act will provide legal certainty to employers offering workplace wellness programs,” Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) wrote in a statement.

Rep. John Kline (R-Minn.), chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, criticized the EEOC for “actually punishing employers for offering wellness plans.”