Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

In the Book of Revelation, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are Conquest, War, Famine and Death. In Notre Dame football lore these horsemen were associated with Knute Rockne’s famous backfield of Stuhldreher, Miller, Crowley and Layden…but I digress.

Now we have four new horsemen and they are being introduced to us by the pharmacy giant CVS. These new horsemen are:

1. Obesity

2. Tobacco

3. Cholesterol

4. High blood pressure/sugar levels

CVS has just introduced an aggressive program of monitoring employees health data with monetary penalties for non-participation or non-compliance.

Essentially, what CVS is saying to its work force is to take some personal accountability for your health, or wind up paying more for your medical insurance.

Industry experts are raising questions over privacy and employment laws. What will the courts decide? Questions about these policies and their far reaching implications are not answered easily or quickly.

Generations from now, I expect these will be standard practices perhaps for every employer. What about right now? Do you know your workforce risk factors? Are you simply paying lip service to wellness?

There is a delicate balance to be struck, in both reward and penalty, as employers design health plans and wellness features to address these issues.

Call us, We can do better.

William Faris, JD
Chief Executive Officer
502-495-5040
william.faris@omca.biz
www.omca.biz