Legislation Would Provide Tax Credits To Businesses That Offer Workers 'Wellness' Programs

Get ready to put those treadmills in place for a tax credit, and of course be sure to have a video running at the same time with all the education materials, which is not a bad idea as you can multifunction on a treadmill if needed. BD

Senate Appropriations Labor-Health-Education Subcommittee Chair Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, on Monday introduced legislation that would provide a tax credit to businesses that offer wellness programs for their employees, CQ Today reports (Teitelbaum, CQ Today, 7/9). The legislation would provide businesses a tax credit "worth 50% of the costs they incur per employee for wellness and preventive health care services," CongressDaily reports. Companies would receive a tax credit of up to $200 for the first 200 employees participating in a wellness program and up to $100 per employee thereafter (CongressDaily, 7/9).
To qualify for the program, businesses would have to provide programs that meet at least three of four criteria, including: events to raise awareness and screen for health risks; seminars to boost behavioral change; incentives for participants; and a committee to oversee the wellness program (Shellnutt, Bloomberg/Houston Chronicle, 7/9). Businesses that offer wellness programs would be eligible for the credit for up to 10 years under the legislation.