1:25 P.M. EST

Q The President was not asked today at the Business Roundtable about the EEOC’s challenge to the wellness provision of the Affordable Care Act, which the Roundtable strongly supports, allowing companies to offer discounts to workers that get involved in smoking cessation programs and control hypertension.How is it that the administration is challenging this provision of the Affordable Care Act that business likes so much?

 

MR. EARNEST:Wendell, I appreciate the question, it’s a good one.As you know, the EEOC is an independent agency, so it’s not an agency over which we exercise much, if any, control.And I don’t want to be in a position of commenting on pending litigation.But I can say, as a general matter, that the administration, and particularly the White House, is concerned that this is -- or this at least could be inconsistent with what we know about wellness programs and the fact that we know that wellness programs are good for both employers and employees.

 

After all, this is one area of many where the White House and the administration worked closely with the business community to incorporate policies in the Affordable Care Act.Again, that would lower costs for businesses and lower health care costs overall -- not just for the government and the system but also for employees.

 

So these kinds of wellness programs demonstrate that throughout the formation of the -- or the writing of the Affordable Care Act, that we were responsive to concerns from the business community and, in fact, put into the Affordable Care Act some of the priorities that the business community had articulated about ways to successfully reduce their costs.So this is a strategy that has been successful in the past.And, again, as a general matter, we’re strongly supportive of those businesses that are moving forward with wellness programs that are proven to reduce costs for businesses and employees alike.

 

Q Can you do anything about the EEOC’s challenge?

 

MR. EARNEST:Well, again, I can’t comment on a specific piece of pending litigation, and the EEOC is an independent agency.But our views on the value of these kinds of wellness programs is well known and has been articulated on many occasions.