House Health Care Bill Pushes Mental Health Promotion, Nanny State In Workplace

There are many references to mental health in the House health care reform bill, 110 to be exact. Most of them use the term generically in reference to facilities and health care providers, but not so when it comes to "wellness program grants." (The language begins on page 62 of the bill, downloadable here.) These wellness grants appear to be--as best as I can understand the bill--aimed at smaller businesses and would allow for a 50 percent grant of wellness plan expenses (presumably from a private plan) but only if said wellness program and said businesses institute a Nanny State program that goes far beyond the usual "smoking is bad" provisions and rushes right into the stomachs and moods of working Americans.

If you think I am joking, it's clear that the federal government will be directing provisions of these plans, as the bill orders (on page 66) the secretaries of HHS and Labor to:

"compile and disseminate to employer health plans information on model health literacy curricula, instructional programs, and effective intervention strategies."

Employees will pretty much be forced to play along (pages 66-67):

"EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT COMPONENT. An employee engagement component which provides for the active engagement of employees in worksite wellness programs through worksite assessments and program planning, onsite delivery, evaluation, and improvement efforts."

Then it's time for behavioral change (page 67) for one and all!

"(3) BEHAVIORALCHANGECOMPONENT. A behavioral change component which encourages healthy living through counseling, seminars, on-line programs, self-help materials, or other programs which provide technical assistance and problem solving skills. Such component may include programs relating to (A) tobacco use; (B) obesity; (C) stress management; (D) physical fitness; (E) nutrition; (F) substance abuse; (G) depression; and (H) mental health promotion."

That's right, mental health promotion. That's exactly what government should be doing.

"(4) SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT COMPONENT. A supportive environment component which includes the following: (A) ON-SITE POLICIES. Policies and services at the worksite which promote a healthy lifestyle, including policies relating to (i) tobacco use at the worksite; (ii) the nutrition of food available at the worksite through cafeterias and vending options; (iii) minimizing stress and promoting positive mental health in the workplace; and (iv) the encouragement of physical activity before, during, and after work hours."

Wow, going after smoking on breaks, food at work, stress, mental health promotion and pushing exercise. This set of provisions in the bill is simply...breathtaking. There's a Libertarian in me that just screams when I read that the feds want to get involved in creating positive moods at work and creating healthy lifestyles. That kind of thing is so far out of the purview of the feds--read the Constitution if you think I am kidding--that it makes my skin crawl that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is pushing this kind of thing. But then she's always struck me as someone who has spiked her office water coolers with Zoloft.

So the Nanny State has arrived. Enjoy. When I was still at Seattle Weekly in January 2006 and wrote this lengthy piece on Seattle's Nanny State, I thought I was excessive in predicting what the Nanny Statists would come after. Looks like I understated things.

There is a provision on page 68 stating that employers cannot make participation mandatory, but if you've ever worked for a small employer (and I have for several), then you know how voluntary can become mandatory in two seconds. You like that paycheck, right? Well, go jogging with the boss!