When Your Health Plan Says 'Shape Up or Pay Up'

But Dania Palanker, senior counsel for the Washington, D.C.-based National Women's Law Center, says she's worried that incentive programs may adversely affect women, minorities and low-income workers because they have a higher incidence of the targeted health conditions and more socioeconomic obstacles to overcome to meet program goals.

“While the plan by law has to provide a reasonable (incentive) alternative if there is a health status reason, they don't have to provide one if an employee can't participate in a program because she's working two jobs, has to care for her child, has elder care duties, can't afford a gym or doesn't live where it's safe to walk at night,” Palanker says.