A while back, I asked the sophisticated readership of this blog (shameless plug to vanity of HR pros worldwide) if you were ready to start fining employees for poor health screening scores.  The answers in my in-box went a little something like this:

• "No".
• "Heck (reply was actually stronger than "heck") No"
• "I'm not ready to fine my employees.  Since you seem to be on drugs, maybe we should just focus on you..."

What can I say besides, "Don't hate the player, hate the game".  In an environment of double-digit annual increases in the cost of health care, it was just a matter of time before a company (Clarian Health) started increasing the cost of heath care to employees that carry the greatest risk.  As a HR pro, this aggressive approach is full of issues I would rather stay a million miles away from.  Make that two million miles...

But the data keeps on rolling in to suggest that Americans probably won't change the behaviors necessary to reduce utilization rates of medical plans without penalties to the pocketbook.  The latest?  The Trust for America's Health reports that obesity levels increased in 31 states last year, and no states experienced a decrease. 

That means the health screening metrics (Body Mass Index, Blood Glucose, Blood Pressure, LDL) that drive the utilization you can control will continue to degrade over time.   

Hard to say where we will be in 5 to 10 years....