Preserving Employee Wellness Programs Act

Summary: Preserving Employee Wellness Programs Act (Sec. 3) This bill exempts workplace wellness programs from: (1) limitations under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 on medical examinations and inquiries of employees, (2) the prohibition on collecting genetic information in connection with issuing health insurance, and (3) limitations under the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 on collecting the genetic information of employees or family members of employees. This exemption applies to workplace wellness programs that comply with limits on rewards for employees participating in the program. Workplace wellness programs may provide for more favorable treatment of individuals with adverse health factors, such as a disability. Collection of information about a disease or disorder of a family member as part of a workplace wellness program is not an unlawful acquisition of genetic information about another family member. 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Preserving Employee Wellness 
Programs Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) Congress has a strong tradition of protecting and 
        preserving employee workplace wellness programs, including 
        programs that utilize a health risk assessment, biometric 
        screening, or other resources to inform and empower employees 
        in making healthier lifestyle choices;
            (2) health promotion and prevention programs are a means to 
        reduce the burden of chronic illness, improve health, and limit 
        the growth of health care costs;
            (3) in enacting the Patient Protection and Affordable Care 
        Act (Public Law 111-148), Congress intended that employers 
        would be permitted to implement health promotion and prevention 
        programs that provide incentives, rewards, rebates, surcharges, 
        penalties, or other inducements related to wellness programs, 
        including rewards of up to 50 percent off of insurance premiums 
        for employees participating in programs designed to encourage 
        healthier lifestyle choices; and
            (4) Congress has struck an appropriate balance among 
        employees, health care providers, and wellness plan sponsors to 
        protect individual privacy and confidentiality in a wellness 
        program which is designed to improve health outcomes.

SEC. 3. NONDISCRIMINATORY WORKPLACE WELLNESS PROGRAMS.

    (a) Uniformity Across Federal Agencies.--
            (1) Programs offered in conjunction with an employer-
        sponsored health plan.--
                    (A) In general.--Notwithstanding any other 
                provision of law, a workplace wellness program and any 
                program of health promotion or disease prevention 
                offered by an employer in conjunction with an employer-
                sponsored health plan that complies with section 
                2705(j) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
                300gg-4(j)) (and any regulations promulgated with 
                respect to such section by the Secretary of Labor, the 
                Secretary of Health and Human Services, or the 
                Secretary of the Treasury) shall be considered to be in 
                compliance with the following provisions (to the extent 
                such programs are subject to the Acts described in such 
                provisions):
                            (i) the acceptable examinations and 
                        inquiries set forth in section 102(d)(4)(B) of 
                        the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 
                        U.S.C. 12112(d)(4)(B));
                            (ii) section 2705(d) of the Public Health 
                        Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300gg-4(d)); and
                            (iii) section 202(b)(2) of the Genetic 
                        Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (42 
                        U.S.C. 2000ff-1(b)(2)).
                    (B) Safe harbor.--Notwithstanding any other 
                provision of law, section 501(c)(2) of the Americans 
                with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12201(c)(2)) 
                shall apply to any workplace wellness program or 
                program of health promotion or disease prevention 
                offered by an employer in conjunction with an employer-
                sponsored health plan.
            (2) Other programs offering more favorable treatment for 
        adverse health factors.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
        law, a workplace wellness program and a program of health 
        promotion or disease prevention offered by an employer that 
        provides for more favorable treatment of individuals with 
        adverse health factors as described in section 146.121(g) of 
        title 45, Code of Federal Regulations (or any successor 
        regulations) shall be considered to be in compliance with--
                    (A) the acceptable examinations and inquiries set 
                forth in section 102(d)(4)(B) of the Americans with 
                Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12112(d)(4)(B));
                    (B) section 2705(d) of the Public Health Service 
                Act (42 U.S.C. 300gg-4(d)); and
                    (C) section 202(b)(2) of the Genetic Information 
                Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (42 U.S.C. 2000ff-
                1(b)(2)).
            (3) Programs not offered in conjunction with an employer-
        sponsored health plan.--
                    (A) In general.--Notwithstanding any other 
                provision of law, a workplace wellness program and any 
                program of health promotion or disease prevention 
                offered by an employer that are not offered in 
                conjunction with an employer-sponsored health plan that 
                is not described in section 2705(j) of the Public 
                Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300gg-4(j)) that meet the 
                requirement set forth in subparagraph (B) shall be 
                considered to be in compliance with--
                            (i) the acceptable examinations and 
                        inquiries as set forth in section 102(d)(4)(B) 
                        of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 
                        (42 U.S.C. 12112(d)(4)(B));
                            (ii) section 2705(d) of the Public Health 
                        Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300gg-4(d)); and
                            (iii) section 202(b)(2) of the Genetic 
                        Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (42 
                        U.S.C. 2000ff-1(b)(2)).
                    (B) Limitation on rewards.--The requirement 
                referenced in subparagraph (A) is that any reward 
                provided or offered by a program described in such 
                subparagraph shall be less than or equal to the maximum 
                reward amounts provided for by section 2705(j)(3)(A) of 
                the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300gg-
                4(j)(3)(A)), and any regulations promulgated with 
                respect to such section by the Secretary of Labor, the 
                Secretary of Health and Human Services, or the 
                Secretary of the Treasury.
    (b) Collection of Information.--Notwithstanding any other provision 
of law, the collection of information about the manifested disease or 
disorder of a family member shall not be considered an unlawful 
acquisition of genetic information with respect to another family 
member as part of a workplace wellness program described in subsection 
(a) offered by an employer (or in conjunction with an employer-
sponsored health plan described in section 2705(j) of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300gg-4(j))) and shall not violate title I or 
title II of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 
(Public Law 110-233). For purposes of the preceding sentence, the term 
``family member''has the meaning given such term in section 201 of the 
Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (Public Law 110-233).
    (c) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in subsection (a)(1)(A) shall be 
construed to prevent an employer that is offering a wellness program to 
an employee from requiring such employee, within 45 days from the date 
the employee first has an opportunity to earn a reward, to request a 
reasonable alternative standard (or waiver of the otherwise applicable 
standard). Nothing in subsection (a)(1)(A) shall be construed to 
prevent an employer from imposing a reasonable time period, based upon 
all the facts and circumstances, during which the employee must 
complete the reasonable alternative standard. Such a reasonable 
alternative standard (or waiver of the otherwise applicable standard) 
is provided for in section 2705(j)(3)(D) of the Public Health Service 
Act (42 U.S.C. 300 gg-4(j)(3)(D)) (and any regulations promulgated with 
respect to such section by the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services, or the Secretary of the Treasury).