Employer spending on health care continues to grow so many employers are focusing on hiring healthier employees. This article looks at some of the federal and state laws that affect decisions regarding who to hire based on health considerations.

In recent years most employer provided health plans have significantly raised employees'co-payments so that the amount of money employers spend on prescription medication has decreased. Nevertheless, employer spending on total health care still exceeds the rates of general inflation. Indeed, such spending increased 7.7% in 2006.
Given the continuing increase in employer spending it's not surprising that employers are focusing on hiring healthy employees, wellness programs and on employer provided drug programs. Doing so is ...