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A report released this week by a Pennsylvania State University task force of faculty, administrators and staff who reviewed the controversial “Take Care of Your Health” wellness and health insurance program echoed what many employees said about the plan all along: that it violated employee privacy; that its design was not supported by health care research; and that the university was not forthcoming about the plan as a whole. Among other elements of the plan, which was proposed last summer, faculty objected to monthly surcharges for not completing certain physical exams and wellness screenings; covering family members eligible for health care through their own employers; and for tobacco use. Most all of the plan has since been tabled, except for the tobacco use surcharge.
The task force report says that “To implement a costly, intrusive and unpopular mandate that the academic literature suggests would not attain the stated goals, and to justify the mandate by reference to potentially self-serving vendor studies, did not engender confidence among some that the necessary level of due diligence had been performed.” It also criticizes the university for announcing the plan quietly in the middle of the summer, saying “many of the faculty and staff at Penn State expect more forthright behavior from their university," and validates privacy concerns employees raised about a required online health questionnaire.
While critical, the report says the university has a chance going forward to emerge as a leader in employer health care. “By taking a deliberate yet measured approach, and collaborating with the health and research expertise throughout the University, Penn State can provide significant benefits to society in this area,” it says.
