Obama administration releases rules on wellness programs(Reuters) - A federal agency on Monday released final rules on how employers can offer workers financial incentives of up to 30 percent of the cost of their cheapest health insurance plans to participate in wellness programs without violating federal laws protecting the confidentiality of medical information. The move from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission aims to clear up confusion over the way two federal laws protecting employees’ medical privacy apply to the popular programs, which are designed to control medical spending by reducing obesity, smoking and other risk factors.  The rules, which were first proposed in November, mark a compromise with U.S. businesses that opposed the EEOC’s previous stance that providing incentives for voluntary wellness programs rendered them involuntary, and thus illegal. The 2010 Affordable Care Act allowed U.S. employers to increase the rewards they offer to employees who participate in wellness programs. But in a series of 2013 lawsuits against companies, including Honeywell International Inc, the EEOC said requests for medical information related to incentive-based wellness programs violated the Americans with Disabilities Act or the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act.  Under the new rules, incentives for wellness programs are open only to employees, not their families, and are capped at 30 percent of the cheapest individual health insurance premium offered through the employer. The new rules are more restrictive than those passed under the ACA, which allowed incentives of up to 30 percent of the actual cost of an employee’s insurance plan and 50 percent for programs approved by the Internal Revenue Service, the Department of Labor and the Department of Health and Human Services. Only smoking-cessation programs received that approval. Senator Lamar Alexander (R.-Tennessee), chair of the Senate’s Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, said he would push legislation, along with House Republicans, to reverse the rules. The National Business Group on Health, a non-profit organization advocating for large healthcare employers, said that although it would have “hoped for some additional flexibility... the rules do what the EEOC was asked to do.” Some health and workers’ rights groups say the rules, which take effect next year, penalize employees who decline to join wellness programs and hand over private medical information. Maxwell Mehlman, a professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Law, said lower-income employees could be unduly pressured to join wellness programs. “It’s hard to say that that’s a voluntary program for a lot of people,” he said. politicsNews
obama administration releases rules wellness programs reuters a federal agency monday released final rules employers offer workers financial incentives percent cost cheapest health insurance plans participate wellness programs without violating federal laws protecting confidentiality medical information the move equal employment opportunity commission aims clear confusion way two federal laws protecting employees medical privacy apply popular programs designed control medical spending reducing obesity smoking risk factors the rules first proposed november mark compromise businesses opposed eoc previous stance providing incentives voluntary wellness programs rendered involuntary thus illegal the affordable care act allowed employers increase rewards offer employees participate wellness programs but series lawsuits companies including honeywell international inc eoc said requests medical information related wellness programs violated americans disabilities act genetic information nondiscrimination act under new rules incentives wellness programs open employees families capped percent cheapest individual health insurance premium offered employer the new rules restrictive passed aca allowed incentives percent actual cost employee insurance plan percent programs approved internal revenue service department labor department health human services only programs received approval senator lamar alexander chair senate committee health education labor pensions said would push legislation along house republicans reverse rules the national business group health organization advocating large healthcare employers said although would hoped additional flexibility rules eoc asked some health workers rights groups say rules take effect next year penalized employees decline join wellness programs hand private medical information maxwell mailman professor case western reserve university school law said employees could unduly pressured join wellness programs it hard say voluntary program lot people said politicsnews
Your task is to classify the provided input as real or fake news. Label 0 is meant for fake news, Label 1 is for real news. TEXT: Obama administration releases rules on wellness programs(Reuters) - A federal agency on Monday released final rules on how employers can offer workers financial incentives of up to 30 percent of the cost of their cheapest health insurance plans to participate in wellness programs without violating federal laws protecting the confidentiality of medical information. The move from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission aims to clear up confusion over the way two federal laws protecting employees’ medical privacy apply to the popular programs, which are designed to control medical spending by reducing obesity, smoking and other risk factors.  The rules, which were first proposed in November, mark a compromise with U.S. businesses that opposed the EEOC’s previous stance that providing incentives for voluntary wellness programs rendered them involuntary, and thus illegal. The 2010 Affordable Care Act allowed U.S. employers to increase the rewards they offer to employees who participate in wellness programs. But in a series of 2013 lawsuits against companies, including Honeywell International Inc, the EEOC said requests for medical information related to incentive-based wellness programs violated the Americans with Disabilities Act or the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act.  Under the new rules, incentives for wellness programs are open only to employees, not their families, and are capped at 30 percent of the cheapest individual health insurance premium offered through the employer. The new rules are more restrictive than those passed under the ACA, which allowed incentives of up to 30 percent of the actual cost of an employee’s insurance plan and 50 percent for programs approved by the Internal Revenue Service, the Department of Labor and the Department of Health and Human Services. Only smoking-cessation programs received that approval. Senator Lamar Alexander (R.-Tennessee), chair of the Senate’s Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, said he would push legislation, along with House Republicans, to reverse the rules. The National Business Group on Health, a non-profit organization advocating for large healthcare employers, said that although it would have “hoped for some additional flexibility... the rules do what the EEOC was asked to do.” Some health and workers’ rights groups say the rules, which take effect next year, penalize employees who decline to join wellness programs and hand over private medical information. Maxwell Mehlman, a professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Law, said lower-income employees could be unduly pressured to join wellness programs. “It’s hard to say that that’s a voluntary program for a lot of people,” he said. politicsNews
Your task is to classify the provided input as real or fake news. Label 0 is meant for fake news, Label 1 is for real news. TEXT: obama administration releases rules wellness programs reuters a federal agency monday released final rules employers offer workers financial incentives percent cost cheapest health insurance plans participate wellness programs without violating federal laws protecting confidentiality medical information the move equal employment opportunity commission aims clear confusion way two federal laws protecting employees medical privacy apply popular programs designed control medical spending reducing obesity smoking risk factors the rules first proposed november mark compromise businesses opposed eoc previous stance providing incentives voluntary wellness programs rendered involuntary thus illegal the affordable care act allowed employers increase rewards offer employees participate wellness programs but series lawsuits companies including honeywell international inc eoc said requests medical information related wellness programs violated americans disabilities act genetic information nondiscrimination act under new rules incentives wellness programs open employees families capped percent cheapest individual health insurance premium offered employer the new rules restrictive passed aca allowed incentives percent actual cost employee insurance plan percent programs approved internal revenue service department labor department health human services only programs received approval senator lamar alexander chair senate committee health education labor pensions said would push legislation along house republicans reverse rules the national business group health organization advocating large healthcare employers said although would hoped additional flexibility rules eoc asked some health workers rights groups say rules take effect next year penalized employees decline join wellness programs hand private medical information maxwell mailman professor case western reserve university school law said employees could unduly pressured join wellness programs it hard say voluntary program lot people said politicsnews