For wellness waverers, tax break might do the trick

Shannon Mortland for Crain's Cleveland Many companies have shied away from wellness programs that aim to prompt employees to live healthier lifestyles, but that could be about to change. In July, Congress began considering the Healthy Workforce Act of 2007, which would provide tax breaks to companies that offer robust wellness programs to employees. Through the act, the government hopes to reduce health care spending and therefore free up more money to flow into the economy. And some believe the effort just might work. Dr. Ron Golovan, medical director of Beachwood-based wellness pro-vider Be Well Solutions, said many small and mid-size companies are starting to think about wellness, a concept that mostly has been reserved for large corporations that stand to save a lot of money. Though a tax incentive isn’t the best reason to start a wellness program, it [...]