So along with the genetic testing that companies want to do to their employees, they are most likely going to get away with blending it with their wellness programs.
If you already did not know, many larger corporations offer wellness programs to help with lowering insurance costs by teaching and allowing their employees to live healthier lives. But are these programs really there to help the employee, or are they there more so for the employer who benefits the most from not having to pay for the now healthier employees healthcare costs. I think that they are doing this for the companies own personal gain solely, and with no care for the employees. Well, now they are taking it to a whole new level by attempting to gene test their potential employees before they even become employees. This serves two fold, first, since they now have a generally healthier employee population, they have a smaller chance of paying high insurance costs due to unhealthy employees. Secondly, they get to say to everyone that their company has a healthier population, and possibly even credit their in house wellness programs. A win-win for the company, and a win-lose for those trying to work for them. Additionally, this can be used as a sneaky way to screen unwanted employees who the company may not want to hire. For example, if employee A and employee B are applying for company X, then if company X can get employee B working for less money, then they might say that employee A's genetic test does not fit the companies health motto well enough. I personally hope that employers don't get the power to access any employees genetic or health data, and that health screenings do not become the norm for companies in the future. SOURCE
2 Comments
Matt Provo
4/18/2017 03:20:16 pm
I enjoyed reading your post about genetic testing and employee wellness. I thought you made some interesting points about the potential for employers to exploit these programs and the people enrolled in them. One point that really stood out to me was when you mentioned that employers could use their health standards as a way to screen candidates they don't like. I think there some good aspects of employers offering wellness programs, but after reading your article I can see that there is a lot of potential for exploitation.
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Cammron Keehley
5/23/2017 09:30:11 pm
Hey Martin,
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