As it appeared in Connecticut Law Tribune
Yale University’s wellness program is facing a class action claiming its $1,300 annual fine for those who refuse to disclose their private medical and genetic information isn’t legal. The lawsuit is being spearheaded by a Yale graduate.
By Robert Storace
A New Haven attorney and Yale University graduate has teamed up with the AARP Foundation in filing a federal prospective class action against his alma mater alleging the school’s wellness program is discriminatory,
The lawsuit, spearheaded by Joshua Goodbaum and several attorneys with the litigation team at the AARP Foundation, contends Yale’s wellness program, Health Expectations, requires about 5,400 current union employees and their spouses to submit to medical tests and allow release of their insurance claims data to multiple wellness vendors. Employees who refuse to disclose private medical and genetic information must pay a fine of $1,300 a year.
Numerous union employees are quoted in the lawsuit, saying the fine is unfair, and plaintiffs claim the policy violates the American with Disabilities Act and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA).