Oregon State Capitol
900 Court Street NE, S-323
Salem, Oregon 97301
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Michael Gay
December 13, 2011 503.986.1950
HEM Questionnaire jeopardizes health and safety of state workers
Salem, OR A representative of Keizer Permanente said they will pull a dangerous and inappropriately intrusive question from a state worker health questionnaire, thanks to State Senator Ted Ferrioli (R-John Day). A new employee involvement initiative called the Health Engagement Model was requiring workers to volunteer lifestyle information to assist medical professionals in tailoring individual wellness plans, including whether or not they own firearms and where they keep them. Keizer Permanente is removing the question after Ferrioli voiced concern.
This was not just a violation of the right to privacy and the second amendment right to bear arms, it ironically put workers health and wellness at risk, said Senate Republican Leader Ted Ferrioli (R-John Day). If this information was ever lost or leaked, criminals could find in one convenient database a list of which individuals own guns, and how accessible those guns are. This question is utterly inappropriate. The data collected should be destroyed and an apology issued to those who were asked to answer it.
The Health Engagement Model, or HEM, that state workers enrolled with Keiser were required to answer includes a question that asks, Are ALL of the following statements TRUE for you? I do not possess any firearms. I do not drink and drive or ride with anyone who has been drinking. I always wear a seatbelt whenever I am driving or riding in a car. I drive within 5 mph of the speed limit, or I don't drive at all. The questionnaire went on to ask if firearms have trigger locks or are locked in a place that has to be opened with a key or combination. These questions may be illegal under the Federal Affordable Care Act.
The question ridiculously equated gun ownership to drunkenness, reckless driving, and other criminal behavior, said Ferrioli. The assumption insults people who exercise a constitutional right to keep and bear arms. These issues have no bearing on an individuals wellness plan.
State Senator Ted Ferrioli is asking both Keizer Permanente and the Public Employees Benefit Board to purge gun ownership data that has already been collected and to put safeguards in place against future violations of workers constitutional rights.
###
900 Court Street NE, S-323
Salem, Oregon 97301
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Michael Gay
December 13, 2011 503.986.1950
HEM Questionnaire jeopardizes health and safety of state workers
Salem, OR A representative of Keizer Permanente said they will pull a dangerous and inappropriately intrusive question from a state worker health questionnaire, thanks to State Senator Ted Ferrioli (R-John Day). A new employee involvement initiative called the Health Engagement Model was requiring workers to volunteer lifestyle information to assist medical professionals in tailoring individual wellness plans, including whether or not they own firearms and where they keep them. Keizer Permanente is removing the question after Ferrioli voiced concern.
This was not just a violation of the right to privacy and the second amendment right to bear arms, it ironically put workers health and wellness at risk, said Senate Republican Leader Ted Ferrioli (R-John Day). If this information was ever lost or leaked, criminals could find in one convenient database a list of which individuals own guns, and how accessible those guns are. This question is utterly inappropriate. The data collected should be destroyed and an apology issued to those who were asked to answer it.
The Health Engagement Model, or HEM, that state workers enrolled with Keiser were required to answer includes a question that asks, Are ALL of the following statements TRUE for you? I do not possess any firearms. I do not drink and drive or ride with anyone who has been drinking. I always wear a seatbelt whenever I am driving or riding in a car. I drive within 5 mph of the speed limit, or I don't drive at all. The questionnaire went on to ask if firearms have trigger locks or are locked in a place that has to be opened with a key or combination. These questions may be illegal under the Federal Affordable Care Act.
The question ridiculously equated gun ownership to drunkenness, reckless driving, and other criminal behavior, said Ferrioli. The assumption insults people who exercise a constitutional right to keep and bear arms. These issues have no bearing on an individuals wellness plan.
State Senator Ted Ferrioli is asking both Keizer Permanente and the Public Employees Benefit Board to purge gun ownership data that has already been collected and to put safeguards in place against future violations of workers constitutional rights.
###