With the health care bill being passed, small and large businesses alike will have some reading up to do on the new law.  Keeping up-to-date with the bill now, will help you next year when it is in full swing.

One provision you should take note of is the, “grants totaling $200 million over five years for small companies that start wellness programs focused on efforts such as nutrition, smoking cessation, physical fitness and stress management.”

To qualify your company has to have few than 100 employees, and the launch date for these new wellness incentives only count after March 23, 2010.  Robert Gould, the CEO of Partnership for Prevention, a Washington nonprofit, tells CNN that, “it is not an enormous amount of money, nor is it guaranteed to be spent…it’s authorized in the legislation, but it has to be appropriated. We’ll be encouraging the appropriation, but it’s going to be a fight, given the obvious issues with the [federal] budget. But it is the right idea.”

If the money is indeed spent, what are some ideas to get your workers hitting the gym?

  1. Talk to local gyms around the office, and see if you can get a group discount rate for memberships.
  2. If your company’s office allows room–have a yoga class in your office.  This could help clear minds of your employees and keep stress levels down.
  3. Start a group fitness contest, similar to what some companies are doing down with the Biggest Loser contest.

What ideas do you have to get your employees to be healthier?

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