PPACA's health care exchanges might not bring undue burden to employers, Buck principal says

July 15, 2011

Chantel Sheaks, principal at Buck Consultants, sits down with EBN Online Managing Editor Kathleen Koster to dispel myths about the health care exchanges created under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and clarify the employer role.

Click Here to listen to the interview!

Social networks gaining as promotion, recruiting tool

August 19, 2010 by Tim Gould

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, social network sites are playing an increasingly large role in today’s business operations.

According to a new CareerBuilder survey, 35% of employers use sites like Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn to promote their company.

One-quarter (25 percent) of those employers said they’re using social media to connect with clients and find new business.

About one in five (21%) use the sites to recruit and research potential employees, and 13% said they saw social networks as a tool to “strengthen their employment brands.”

The survey was conducted among more than 2,500 employers between May 18 and June 3, 2010.

Size doesn’t matter

It’s not just the big players who see the business value of using social networks. Here’s a breakdown of participation rates by company size:

• 500 or fewer employees — 29%
• 501 to 1,000 employees — 38%
• over 1,000 employees — 44%.

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Tip Tuesday: If your incentive is broke, fix it

Forgetting the golden rule and rewarding wrong people are among the top four reasons Sykes lists for why employee wellness incentives fail

By Andrew Sykes

July 1, 2011

An increasingly common feature of wellness programs is the existence of incentives, and sometimes even penalties, to encourage people to engage, participate and succeed in their efforts at getting healthy. It stands to reason that incentives will work, since incentives seem to improve work performance in general. Employees, when asked what it would take to get them to exercise or eat better, almost inevitably tell us "incentives and rewards." It's no surprise, therefore, that the wellness industry has become convinced of the power of incentives. If you are too, think again.

There are four keys reasons why incentives fail:

1. Forgetting the golden rule of incentives.

2. Rewarding the wrong people or the wrong behaviors.

3. Classifying mental buckets.

4. Offering "if, then" vs. "now that" incentives.

Click Here to view the details on the 'Four Keys' and read the entire article!

55+ workers flip retirement savings strategy

July 15, 2011 by Christian Schappel

More than three-quarters (76%) of workers 55 and older say the last few years have provided them with a much-needed financial wake-up call.

As a result, 84% said they now exercise a more cautious investment strategy, according to a recent Harris Interactive telephone survey of more than 1,000 over-55 U.S. workers age.

Retirement plan changes

What are workers now looking for from their retirement plans? Almost two-thirds (65%) said they want investments that are almost guaranteed not to lose value — like CD’s or annuities.

The survey data revealed that protecting assets is now five times more important to older workers than investing aggressively, and 60% are looking to protect their income from market losses.

And that’s not all: 80% say they want education and advice on saving and investing from their employer.

Retirement now means less work

Other findings:

• Older workers intend to delay retirement — from 64 to 69, and
• Two-thirds say they’d like to keep working at least part time after they retire.

The Business of Insurance: Demystifying Health Insurance Rates

In the last year, health insurance premiums and health insurer administrative costs have been under intense attack. To many, it seems the process to determine insurance rates is vague and mysterious. We explained the administrative cost issue in our papers “Medicare’s Hidden Administrative Costs: A Comparison of Medicare and the Private Sector,” and “How High Loss Ratios Undermine Affordable Health Insurance.” Given the attention, it is past time to explain

the health insurance rate-making process. 

The rate-making process is not all that mysterious. Mathematical experts called actuaries apply probability, statistics and risk theory to craft real-world premium rates. Insurance companies combine risks to create an average rate (usually

called a community rate) but also modify those rates to reflect certain individual factors including demographics (region, age, gender, etc.) and underwriting (a person’s health status). Understanding the interplay of all these factors (pooling, demographics, and underwriting) is important to understanding health insurance premiums. Similar to the mortgage market, too many policymakers want to ignore economic realities to promote a perceived social good.

Click Here to read the full article and learn: What drives health insurance prices? 

Tip Tuesday: Prediabetes: An opportunity for action

Close-up on health conditions
Prediabetes: An opportunity for action

By Michael W. Rosen, M.D.
(Click for author bios in About us)

Not all of life's rough times offer us an out — a chance to make things better, before they get worse.

But, when it comes to a dangerous disease — type 2 diabetes — some people get that opportunity. That's because it often comes with a warning: prediabetes.

It's a sign that your health's at serious risk — and a chance to do something about it.

Why it's alarming 
People with prediabetes have blood sugar levels that are higher than normal — but not yet at the level of diabetes.

The condition:

• Affects an estimated 79 million Americans
• Puts people at high risk of diabetes — the seventh-leading cause of death in the United States
• Increases the risk of heart disease and stroke

Click here for the full article and learn: What you can do now!

FMLA: Second opinion not enough to reject leave

July 5, 2011 by Christian Schappel
The outcome of a new Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) lawsuit offers up a valuable lesson for employers.

The FMLA allows employers to request second opinions when they have concerns about an employee’s medical certification. But companies that are going to do that must be prepared to ask for a third cert. 

When one employer failed to do that recently, it was found guilty of interfering with a worker’s right to FMLA leave.

As attorney Francine Breckenridge explains at the insightfulThe Employment Law Blog of the firm Strasburger & Price, LLP, employers cannot use a second opinion alone to reject a workers’ FMLA leave request.

No ‘tie breaker’

In the lawsuit, which Breckenridge breaks down, a worker began experiencing severe headaches after receiving warnings from her supervisor.

The employee’s doctor certified that she had a “serious health condition” that qualified her for FMLA leave.

Her employer then requested a second, independent assessment, which concluded no serious health condition existed that would entitle her to FMLA leave.

The ensuing dispute ended in her termination. She then sued, claiming her employer interfered with her FMLA rights. 

Click Here to see the result and read the full article.

Emotional well-being On the job: 6 steps to less deadline stress

By Arleen Fitzgerald, L.I.C.S.W.
(Click for author bios in About us) 

Even if you love your job, the stress of deadlines may get the best of you some days. And, while a little pressure can keep you motivated, too much may derail and distract you. 

Stay on track — and ease deadline stress — with these work-smart tips: 

1. Keep a prioritized to-do list. Tallying your tasks and deadlines can clear your mind — and help you determine what's most pressing. Mark those with the highest priority. Your list may also make you less likely to forget something important. 

2. Break it down. If you have a project that seems overwhelming, outline the steps — and give each a separate deadline. You may find it helps to tackle your toughest task of the day first. 

3. If you can do it quickly, do so. Need a breather from a time-consuming job? Take care of a quick task or two. Checking off even small deadlines on your list may help relieve some pressure. 



Click Here to see the full article and remaining tips!

Tip Tuesday: Parked on a plateau? Get your weight loss rolling again!

You've worked hard to lose weight and get healthier. But, just when you thought you were on a roll, your progress seems to have stalled. 

It's called a weight-loss plateau. Why does it happen? As you lose weight, your body changes and adapts. This can affect how many calories you need — and burn. So, 
what was working for you before may not be quite enough now. 

3 strategies to get unstuck
First, don't give up. Remind yourself of what you've already achieved. Next, make sure your expectations are reasonable. Talk with your doctor about whether you've set an appropriate weight goal. 

To continue to lose weight, you may need to eat fewer calories and exercise more. Your doctor can help you determine what your daily calorie and activity goals should be. 

Click Here for these strategies and complete article!

DMI program study proves key for a healthier workforce

The strong link between lifestyle, health benefit costs and productivityhas led most large employers, and a growing number of smaller employers, to invest in wellness programs to motivate employees to improve their overall health.

Aetna’s Dental/Medical Integration^SM (DMI) program is available to members with Aetna dental and medical coverage. This program uses sophisticated technology to identify members who are pregnant or have chronic conditions and who have not had a recent dental visit.

We reach out to these members by mail and through phone calls to make them aware of how gum disease may impact their health situation. 

Good health can begin with good dental care
Recent Aetna findings revealed that members with access to regular dental care had better control of their diabetes, including more regulated blood glucose levels. Below are the results based on a study conducted from 2007 through 2009


Click Here to see the results and full article.

Controversial health reform study details released

The Obama administration did not like the picture McKinsey & Co.’s latest health reform study painted of life after the new law. But McKinsey is not backing down from its findings.

The controversial study found that 30% of all employers will “definitely” or “probably” stop offering their workers health insurance once the bulk of the healthcare reform law’s mandates take effect in 2014.

That figure jumps to 50% among employers with a “high awareness” of the reform law’s requirements, the study found.

Those findings did not sit well with the White House and other Democrats who pressured McKinsey to release its methodology.

Recently, McKinsey obliged by releasing the details of the survey on its site, along with a statement, saying: “We stand by the integrity and methodology of the survey.”

Click Here to read the full article.

Tip Tuesday!

Yes. You read the headline above correctly. James Verone walked into an RBC Bank, asked for one dollar and waited for the police to pick him up – all so Uncle Sam would cover his medical care. Did it work?

Click here to read more and find out!

FUTA Tax Rate Update

In an effort to keep you informed on current Payroll tax legislation, we would like to bring the following information to your attention:

§        The FUTA rate is set to decrease to 6.0% effective July 1, 2011, if legislation is not enacted to extend the FUTA surcharge.

§  If not enacted to extend, this will make the FUTA tax rate .6% after the FUTA credit of 5.4% that employers are allowed to take for making timely SUI payments throughout the quarter.

We will make the appropriate changes within the payroll software to accommodate these changes as they occur.  We continue to watch for any upcoming legislation regarding the FUTA tax, and will keep you informed.

Please contact us with any questions.