Tip Tuesday: 7 Crucial Health Reform Law Dates in 2012

January 18, 2012 by Christian Schappel

Yes, the bulk of the healthcare reform law doesn’t kick in until 2014. But there’s still plenty going on with the law this year.

Seven dates you’ll want to keep in mind:

• Jan. 1. This month, groups of healthcare providers officially started to band together to form Accountable Care Organizations (ACO) to treat Medicare participants. They are designed to improve healthcare quality in an attempt to bring down costs. ACOs will accept a flat fee for all care related to a small group of Medicare patients. The idea is
  that the more an ACOs quality of care increases, the more its healthcare costs will decrease — and the more money it will make.
• March 26, 27, 28. The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments to determine a) whether the individual mandate challenges to the law are barred by the Anti-Injunction Act, b) if the mandate is constitutional and c) whether the rest of the law can stand if the individual mandate is deemed unconstitutional.

Click Here for more important dates and the full article.

Wellness: Can it Solve What Ails Health Care?

by Infinisource

An apparent failing of the Affordable Care Act is its focus on one part of the health care issue (access) while ignoring another part (demand), thereby worsening another part (cost).

Employer-sponsored wellness programs appear to address those other parts. The basic theory is this:

• Most health care claims relate to chronic conditions that are avoidable through proper nutrition, exercise and early prevention
• An employer’s investment in employees’ health addresses those chronic conditions
• Eventually, a wellness program’s benefits (financial and otherwise) far outweighs its cost

Here are some things we are seeing in the wellness space:

• Paying for lack of health. A recent Towers Watson study showed that 19 percent of employers penalize employees on health plan premiums for unhealthy behaviors (e.g., smoking), twice the number of two years ago. HIPAA nondiscrimination rules impose some restrictions on standard-based premium surcharges.
• Putting money where mouth is. An Incentive Research Foundation survey found that offering financial incentives increases participation rates from about 20 to 60 percent.
• Helping employees help themselves. An Aon Hewitt report showed that 60 percent of employees believe their employer is only moderately to not supportive when it comes to getting healthy. They want a customized and convenient improvement plan.

So what does workplace wellness look like? Click Here to read more!

Sure your TPA’s got COBRA notifications covered?

January 16, 2012 by Tim Gould

Most companies use a third-party administrator to handle their COBRA notification duties. Here’s what can happen when companies forget to keep an eye on the overall process.

An employee for Esurance had changed his mailing address from a P.O. box to his apartment’s street address. Later, he began taking intermittent FLMA leave for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) until his leave was exhausted.

The employee ended up being terminated, and the TPA that handled the company’s COBRA mailings sent him a COBRA notice. However, because the TPA sent the election notice to the employee’s old P.O. address, he didn’t receive it.

Eventually, the employee received a COBRA notice – around a year and a half later. But he sued the company for COBRA notice violations, because he didn’t receive his election notice until well after the 44-day qualifying event timeframe plan sponsors are required to send it within

Click Here for the complete article.

Tip Tuesday! Important Dates to Remember

By Infinisource

The following checklist provides employers and benefits and payroll professionals key upcoming dates and deadlines related to health benefits. This reminder list does not constitute all of the deadlines applicable to employers and some deadlines may be different based on variations in plan year or plan design. 

  

NR Topic (Select topic from drop-down menu)	Description	Date
Payroll	2011 W-2s. Employers must send the Wage & Tax Statements to employees no later than this date. It includes information on wages and taxable and non-taxable benefits.	January 31, 2012
Payroll	Form 941 and FUTA Deposit Filing Deadline. Due date for filing Form 941 and FUTA deposits for the prior quarter.	January 31, 2012
Payroll	Form 940 Filing Deadline. Due date for filing annual Form 940 return for FUTA.	January 31, 2012
Medicare	CMS Medicare Part D Notice Deadline. Employers with prescription drug coverage must report the creditable status of their coverage to CMS within 60 days of the start of the plan year.	February 29, 2012
Cafeteria Plans Flexible Benefits	End of Grace Period. Typically, FSAs have grace periods of 2 months and 15 days.	March 15, 2012 (for calendar-year plan years)
HSAs	Correction of Excess Contributions to HSAs. Employers may correct any contribution errors by the federal tax-filing deadline to avoid a 35% excise tax. Recently, the IRS extended the normal April 15 deadline to April 17, 2012.	April 17, 2012
HR Employer Services	New NLRA Notice Posting Deadline. Employers must post a new required notice about rights under the National Labor Relations Act. Click here for more details.	April 30, 2012

COPYRIGHT NOTICE: All graphics, photographs, articles and other text appearing in the Newsroom and other official Infinisource web pages and communications are protected by copyright. Any unauthorized use is strictly prohibited, unless you obtain Infinisource’s express written permission. To obtain permission, please contact Infinisource at solutions@infinisource.net

Click Here For The Original Article And Links.

Women and lung cancer: A growing threat

By Tanise Edwards, M.D.

What type of cancer kills more American women than any other? The answer to this question may be surprising to some.

Many women fear breast cancer the most. But, the answer is lung cancer.

Experts say it's a rising threat all women need to take seriously. And, that means not just smokers — but also women who have never once lit up.

5 telling facts
National statistics and findings show the toll lung cancer takes — especially on women:

1. Lung cancer is the No.1 cause of cancer deaths for both U.S. men and women. But, while the disease rate in men has gotten lower, in women it's increased sixfold over the last 30 years.

2. One of every five women diagnosed with lung cancer doesn't have a history of smoking.

3. Women with lung cancer who have never smoked outnumber their male counterparts three to one.

4. Women tend to develop lung cancer at a younger age than men.

5. Some research suggests that female smokers may be more vulnerable to lung cancer than men who smoke.  


Click Here to read more...

Can ‘sugar tax’ actually lower healthcare costs?

January 11, 2012 by Christian Schappel

It’s no secret American’s don’t take very good care of themselves. Well, researchers suggest a new tax may help change that.

Researchers from Columbia University, UC San Francisco and Virginia Tech calculated that a penny-per-ounce tax on sugar-sweetened beverag

es would significantly slash the instances of heart disease and strokes, according to a report in Health Affairs.

Surely, this would tick off a lot of soda fans.

But the researchers say the tax would reduce super-sweet beverage consumption by 15%, resulting in the average adult age 25 to 64 consuming nine fewer calories per day. That, they say, would result in enough weight loss to reduce the number of obese adults by 867,000 in 10 years.

Click Here for the full article and Other Claims!

Tip Tuesday! Noodle know-how: 4 steps to more healthful pasta

By Melanie Polk, M.M.Sc., R.D., F.A.D.A.


What's not to love about pasta? It's fast, simple fare that's budget-friendly, too. It's also deliciously versatile — the perfect partner for vibrant vegetables, fresh herbs and savory spices.

But, your favorite linguine, macaroni or ziti isn't so healthful when it's swimming in high-fat extras. Next time you put noodles on the menu, make these nutrition-smart moves:

1. Switch to whole grain
Whole-grain pastas are richer in vitamins and other nutrients. In fact, they can have almost three times the fiber of refined pasta.

But, they may take a little getting used to. Some varieties tend to have a nuttier, bolder flavor than traditional pasta.

You might sample different pasta shapes and brands until you find options you like. Or, try mixing whole-grain and refined varieties until you get used to the taste. And, you may just discover that you find whole-grain noodles tastier!

Here's a tip: Keep an eye on the cooking time — it can greatly affect the pasta's texture. And, serve whole-grain pasta al dente, or slightly firm. It can get gummy quickly when overcooked.  


Click Here for more tips and the full article.

Women and lung cancer: A growing threat

By Tanise Edwards, M.D.

What type of cancer kills more American women than any other? The answer to this question may be surprising to some.

Many women fear breast cancer the most. But, the answer is lung cancer.

Experts say it's a rising threat all women need to take seriously. And, that means not just smokers — but also women who have never once lit up.

5 telling facts
National statistics and findings show the toll lung cancer takes — especially on women:

1. Lung cancer is the No.1 cause of cancer deaths for both U.S. men and women. But, while the disease rate in men has gotten lower, in women it's increased sixfold over the last 30 years.

2. One of every five women diagnosed with lung cancer doesn't have a history of smoking.

3. Women with lung cancer who have never smoked outnumber their male counterparts three to one.

4. Women tend to develop lung cancer at a younger age than men.

5. Some research suggests that female smokers may be more vulnerable to lung cancer than men who smoke.  


Click Here to read more!

IRS clears up W-2 health cost reporting rules

January 6, 2012 by Christian Schappel

The latest round of IRS guidance helps answer questions employers have raised about the requirement to report the cost of workers’ health insurance on W-2s.

The healthcare reform law mandates that employers that issue more than 250 W-2 forms for tax year 2012 must include on those statements the cost of employees’ healthcare coverage. 

Employers issuing fewer than 250 W-2s are exempt from this rule until it comes time to pass out 2013 W-2s — and possibly longer.

Points of clarification in the latest guidance:

• Employers can — but aren’t required to — report contributions made to health reimbursement arrangements
• The cost of services provided through employee assistance programs (EAP), wellness programs or on-site medical clinics is not required to be reported — unless the employer charges premiums for those services to COBRA beneficiaries

Click Here for more points, the original article and more links!

Tip Tuesday! 7 steps to keep listeria out of your kitchen

By Karis Gabrielson, R.N.

Listeria. Before the summer of 2011, this germ probably wasn't on the minds of many Americans. But, some tainted cantaloupes change

d that. They were to blame for making people in multiple states sick and causing numerous deaths.

Read on to learn some important facts about listeria — and what you can do to protect your family year-round.

Highly dangerous for some
Listeria causes an infection called listeriosis. And, contaminated food is almost always what spreads it.

This foodborne bug isn't a serious danger for most healthy adults and children. But, it can be deadly for certain at-risk groups, including:

• Pregnant women and their babies
• Newborns
• Older adults
• People with weakened immune systems, such as those with HIV/AIDS, cancer, diabetes and kidney disease

Listeriosis symptoms can take a few days, or even weeks, to appear. They can include fever, chills, muscle aches — and diarrhea or stomach upset. The infection may also cause headache, stiff neck and confusion. During pregnancy, a woman may experience only a mild, flu-like illness. See "A risk for expectant moms."

Click Here to read the full article with tips!

Feds want states to set minimum benefit limits in health exchanges

December 26, 2011 by Christian Schappel

The health reform law required the Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS) to set minimum benefit limits for plans in health exchanges. But now the HHS wants to relinquish that responsibility to the states.

Insurance plans participating in state health exchanges will be required to offer a minimum amount of benefits, known as essential health benefits. Their plans must cover services in at least 10 categories, which include preventive care, emergency services, maternity care, prescription drugs, mental health and substance abuse.

But now, instead of the HHS determining what those limits will be, it looks like it’ll beleft up to the states to decide for themselves.

Click Here for more details on the proposal and the full article.

3 questions the Supreme Court will answer about healthcare reform

December 28, 2011 by Dan Wisniewski

The challenge to the healthcare reform act is finally on the Supreme Court’s calendar. Here are the three questions the court will try to answer when it hears the case in March. hearing challenges

The court will spend three days hearing challenges to three key issues. Here’s the breakdown:

1. Is the individual mandate unconstitutional? The big question on the courts’ plate: Did Congress violate the Constitution by requiring people to buy health insurance or pay a penalty? The court will hear two hours of arguments on the individual mandate, also known as the minimum coverage provision, on March 27.
2. Can the mandate be separated from the rest of the healthcare reform act? The court will also spend a significant amount of time arguing about what parts of the law should be eliminated should the individual mandate be ruled illegal. The states and businesses that filed the lawsuits against the government claim the entire law should be struck down if the individual mandate is deemed illegal. The feds argue that only some parts of the law should be eliminated if the individual mandate is struck down. Those arguments take place on March 28.
3. Should the challenge actually be pushed back to 2014? Before either of those questions can be answered, though, the court must first decide if it can even legally make a ruling about the mandate. A federal law called the Anti-Injunction Act states that “consumers can’t challenge a tax law until they have to pay for it,” according to Politico. If the court rules that the individual mandate is a tax, then the court could throw out any lawsuits concerning the mandate until it goes into effect in 2014.

The court will likely rule on the challenge to the act during the last week of its term at the end of June. We’ll keep you informed.  

Click Here for the original article.

Tip Tuesday! Wellness could be key to reduced worker’s comp

December 27, 2011 by Christian Schappel

A new study has revealed two more reasons to encourage obese employees to join weight loss programs.

The reasons: Obesity can increase the risk of injury and tends to complicate recovery, according to a recently released study by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

Researchers found: 

• Obesity increases the risk of falls because it negatively affects balance and posture
• Obese people are more likely to suffer from breathing-related sleep disorders like sleep apnea
• Odds of sustaining an injury can be as much as twice as high for obese workers compared to non-obese individuals
• Repetitive motions (kneeling, squatting and typing) compound injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome and osteoarthritis
• Obesity increases the risk of heat-related illnesses, and
• The rate at which workers’ comp claims are filed is twice as high for individuals with a body mass index (BMI) of 35 or greater compared to non-obese individuals.

Click Here for the full article