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Wellness Programs: The Buzz Of 2011, But Are They Fair?

For instance, Harald Schmidt, a health policy expert at the Harvard School of Public Health, writes that the incentives are not always equitable:

"In principle, I think wellness incentives are a good idea. But it all depends on how they are implemented. If the focus is on just reducing the cost of healthcare rather than improving health, then you may have a problem. The second issue is, we must make sure everybody has a reasonable chance of benefiting from incentive programs. We really have a problem if some find it much harder than others, and especially if we hold people responsible for things that are in fact beyond their control.

This program aired on January 3, 2011. The audio for this program is not available.

Headshot of Rachel Zimmerman

Rachel Zimmerman Reporter
Rachel Zimmerman previously reported on health and the intersection of health and business for WBUR. She is working on a memoir about rebuilding her family after her husband’s suicide. 

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