Employer Wellness Programs Are a Great Idea—Right?

[Ilsa]

1. I hate that my health insurance sends me letters

telling me to take my medicine daily (they know I don't because I don't order it enough to make them happy) when actually I only need it occasionally.

They also have a program where you can sign up to talk to a lifestyle coach. That may be great for some people, but I'm not good at establishing rapport with a stranger over the phone. I don't want to discuss my very personal health issues with a stranger.

If they want to be proactive, they can offer coverage for programs they've research to be helpful, not create their own incentive plans that are more likely to result in long term failure.