On March 2, Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., introduced to the U.S. House HR 1313, the Preserving Employee Wellness Programs Act. The bill "includes findings that Congress seeks to protect and preserve employee workplace wellness programs," and considers them to be a means of reducing health care costs. What's notably missing, writes Alex Wall, CIPP/E, CIPP/US, for Privacy Tracker, "are findings that wellness programs are in any way at risk and requiring preservation. Even so, the bill proposes means of preserving wellness programs while weakening employee rights to privacy and confidentiality with respect to their genetic information." This overview of the bill's provisions highlights the effect it would have on protections put in place by the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, the Public Health Service Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
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