The American Medical Association (AMA) recently reclassified obesity as a treatable disease. This classification change has the potential to increase your workers’ compensation rates because when employees see their doctors due to on-the-job injuries, doctors may need to treat those workers for obesity too.
Historically obesity has been classified as a condition that occurs at the same time as, but independent of, an injury or illness. The new classification of obesity as a disease that requires treatment may cause doctors to feel a greater responsibility to advise patients about their weight. This could increase workers’ compensation claims because a claim may include treatment for two things (the injury and obesity), or there may be a secondary claim.
To avoid this situation, you may be inclined to start a wellness program to encourage employees to be more healthy and perhaps reduce the risk of any obesity related claims. Wellness programs can help you reduce certain risk factors, such as obesity and depression, which can help you potentially shorten the duration of claims and minimize claim costs. However, be careful when implementing a wellness program and be sure that participation is completely voluntary and written consent has been provided by the employee. This information must also be kept confidential and separate from personnel records.
If you choose to implement a wellness program, give serious thought to the activities that you introduce to ensure every employee is included if they want to join in the efforts to become healthier. You’ll want to make sure everyone can participate to prevent any claims of discrimination.
If you need more information on this topic, contact your worker’s compensation broker who will most likely have even more details related to your policy and how to implement a wellness program in your business to help avoid additional costs related to worker claims.