Saving You Money For Life

On site medical clinics are returning to the workplace. If employees become healthier and the staggering cost of health insurance declines, everyone wins, or so the theory goes.

But as companies do what they can to lower health-insurance premiums, they threaten to overstep traditional work-life boundaries, dictating how employees must behave even when they are off the clock. “We are at that crossroads now,” according to Frank Martin, Chairman of I-Trax Inc., a firm that sets up medical clinics and pharmacies for companies around the nation.

“Most people want to feel better, if you give them the tools,” he said. “But what can you do to a person who doesn’t follow your [medical] advice? Can you deny employment to someone who is overweight?” Last year, a Michigan company did something just like that, firing smokers to reduce health-care costs. Locally, Montgomery County considered a similar move for its employees, but has since backed down, offering a smoking-cessation plan instead.

More after the jump…

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