More U.S. Employers Tie Health Insurance to Medical Tests (USA Today)

More employers are asking their employees to exercise, quit smoking, participate in disease management programs and undergo medical tests to qualify for rewards, bonuses, and premium or deductible discounts. Employers tying deductibles to health goals grew from 49% in 2010 to 54% in 2011, according to a survey by Aon Hewitt. More employers are expected to adopt the program in 2014 when the health law – if the Supreme Court upholds it – allows them to offer larger incentives or penalties. Critics worry that increasing premiums as a penalty will make insurance too expensive. Critics also say the programs are frequently paired with high-deductible policies making it difficult to determine if the reported savings actually come from improved health.