English: Alternative Logo of the CVS Pharmacy (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
CVS/Pharmacy will reportedly mandate its employees who participate in their healthcare plan to undergo regular health screenings or face a $600 annual “surcharge.” Employees believe the mandate would infringe on their personal liberties. Some don’t want their weight to become public knowledge amongst company management.
Company management states that they would not be privy to such information, yet are implementing this mandate so as to push employees to pursue a healthier lifestyle. They believe that regular doctor visits are essential to living a long, hearty life.
I was watching ABC World News tonight and they interviewed a man who sued his company for a similar policy. He lost. The judge said his company had every right to implement such a policy. After all, he had the “choice” not to visit the doctor.
I am bit conflicted on the matter. On the one hand I don’t like when government or in this case an employer mandates anyone to do anything outside of their workplace. I see it as a personal infringement. I certainly don’t believe that my weight would be confidential. The cynic in me believes that somehow my weight would cause my insurance to go up anyway. They would probably tell me that I need to pay more because I have a greater risk for health problems. (Even though in reality I seldom need to go to the doctor for any ailments).
But I don’t know if I am thinking of this in an entirely objective manner. Like every topic I debate on this platform, I try to be as fair as possible. From an employer perspective I can see why they would want me to go to the doctor. Reasoning would deduce that regular health screenings would probably reduce overall health care costs. Regular screenings help discover ailments that would otherwise go untreated for months, if not years. Additionally, maybe (and this is meant in the slimmest of chances) they actually care about their employees well-being. Yes, I know. Probably not the case, but I thought I should still provide it.
Overall, I am skeptical of this policy. I certainly don’t like being told what do in my personal life.
What do you think?
Do you think this should even be legal?
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Twitter: @adrakontaidis & @talkrealdebate
