bill in congress could make it harder for workers to keep employers from getting their medical and genetic information creditjoshua bright for the new york timesmarch 10 2017a bill in congress could make it harder for workers to keep employers from getting access to their personal medical and genetic information and raise the financial penalties for those who opt out of workplace wellness programshouse republicans are proposing legislation aimed at making it easier for companies to gather genetic data from workers and their families including their children when they collect it as part of a voluntary wellness programthe bill the preserving employee wellness programs act introduced by representative virginia foxx a republican from north carolina and the chairwoman of the house committee on education and the workforce would also significantly increase the financial costs faced by someone who does not join a company wellness programthe bill which is under review by other house committees and has yet to be considered by the senate has already provoked fierce opposition from a wide range of consumer health and privacy advocacy groups as well as by house democrats critics claim it undermines existing laws aimed at protecting an individuals personal medical information from use by employer and otherswe strongly oppose any legislation that would allow employers to inquire about employees private genetic information or medical information unrelated to their ability to do their jobs and to impose draconian penalties on employees who choose to keep that information private a group of advocates including aarp the american diabetes association the american academy of pediatrics the epilepsy foundation the march of dimes and others wrote in a letter this week to ms foxxas wellness programs proliferate across the corporate landscape workers are increasingly being asked by their companies to undergo health screenings and medical assessments employees can opt out of these programs and personal information specific to a worker is not supposed to be shared directly with the company the prohibition is aimed at preventing someone from being fired or otherwise discriminated against because of a serious medical conditionthe federal equal employment opportunity commission has vigorously pursued legal action against some employers it claimed went too far and used these programs inappropriately but the courts have largely been sympathetic to the employers arguments companies also complained that the regulations were confusing and the commission issued final rules in may aimed at addressing some of their concernscompanies defend the wellness programs saying they keep workers healthier and help reduce insurance costs but some studies have questioned the effectiveness of these initiativescritics argue that workers are essentially being coerced into giving up private medical information such as their weight their blood pressure and whether they are at particular risk for cancer under the affordable care act employers can entice a worker by offering as much as a 30 percent reduction in insurance payments although the financial incentives offered have typically been lower an employee who refused to participate could lose as much as thousands of dollars in