Obama’s new jobs plan: Will it reduce unemployment?

March 20, 2012 by Christian Schappel

President Obama has unveiled his latest jobs proposal. Included in it are these seven things he hopes to provide for the unemployed.

1. Universal Displaced Worker Program. The president’s new budget proposal included plans for a program designed to provide displaced workers (those who lost their job when their employers closed or eliminated their positions, or didn’t have enough business to keep them employed) with skills, counseling and job search assistance services. The White House estimates up to a million workers a year would be eligible for help under the program.
2. Up to $4,000 in training awards. Under the Universal Displaced Worker Program, displaced workers would be eligible for training awards of up to $4,000 per year for up to two years.
3. Up to $300 in weekly stipends. For workers who are receiving job training, the program would provide weekly stipends for child care, transportation and other expenses worth between $150 and $300 for low-income workers. They’d be available for up to 78 weeks and could be received in addition to 26 weeks of unemployment insurance benefits.

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Ineligible Plan Participants Prove Costly

COBRA/USERRA

A recent lawsuit reminds us why health plan ineligibility is a substantial risk that is both costly and avoidable.

The case of Denver Health and Hospital Authority v. Beverage Distributors and Principal Life Insurance was about a domestic partner enrolled in the employer’s health plan. After the participant racked up over $750,000 in medical bills from a motorcycle accident, the employer rescinded coverage because the domestic partner was ineligible according to the terms of the plan.

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Tip Tuesday! Help maintain your health – and sign up for health screening email reminders

We understand that maintaining or improving your health is important. And, a focus on regular preventive care, along with following the advice of your doctor can help you stay healthy. Routine checkups and screenings can:

• Help you avoid serious health problems
• Allow you and your doctor to work as a team to manage your overall health
• Assist you in reaching your personal health and wellness goals

Get your health guidelines 

UnitedHealthcare is here to help, with our online preventive care tool that allows you to view the health guidelines and recommendations specific to your age and gender. This web-based tool will allow you to review the age-specific preventive care recommendations you need to manage your health, help prevent and detect health issues in their early stages, and live a more healthful life.

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Ineligible Plan Participants Prove Costly

A recent lawsuit reminds us why health plan ineligibility is a substantial risk that is both costly and avoidable.

The case of Denver Health and Hospital Authority v. Beverage Distributors and Principal Life Insurance was about a domestic partner enrolled in the employer’s health plan. After the participant racked up over $750,000 in medical bills from a motorcycle accident, the employer rescinded coverage because the domestic partner was ineligible according to the terms of the plan.

The insurance carrier preauthorized claims for the hospital stay for the participant. Later, the employer notified the carrier of the ineligible participant. Coverage was terminated retroactive to the application date, which preceded the date of the accident. The hospital then sued the employer and insurance carrier to recover the unpaid claims.

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86 million benefit from Obamacare preventive care mandate

March 6, 2012 by Christian Schappel

Healthcare reform’s preventive coverage rule that kicked in last year is already making big waves, according to the latest report from the federal government.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) just announced that the healthcare reform law provided approximately 54 million private health plan participants with at least one new free preventive service in 2011.

In 2011, the healthcare reform law put employers on the hook for preventive care by prohibiting co-pays or deductibles on things like mammograms, Pap smears, colonoscopies, well-child visits, flu shots and other medical services designed to catch and prevent serious conditions before they become bigger problems.

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Answers to tricky HR questions: Employee handbooks and the law

March 13, 2012 by Tim Gould

Our team of experts fields real-life, everyday questions from HR managers and gives practical answers that can be applied by any HR pro in the same situation. Today’s issue: Are we required to have an official employee handbook?

The question

Is there a law that says we need to have an employee handbook?

The answer

No, there’s no legal requirement that you have to have a handbook, says Robert Hatta on the Jumpstart blog.

Attorneys and most HR pros suggest you have a handbook to spell out procedures and policies, which can reduce the risk of being sued. 

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Tip Tuesday! Nutrition trends: How do you stack up?

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

About 75 percent of U.S. adults say they're satisfied with the way they eat. How about you? Do you have good reason to feel that way?

• If you can say, "I am eating more vegetables," congrats. About 49 percent of Americans say they are making this wise move.
• If you're dining on fish more often, you're swimming with about 46 percent of the rest of the country. Good work.
• If you're choosing more whole grains, fantastic. About 48 percent of Americans are, as well.

These are just a few of the findings from a 2011 national survey by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Association).  

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Living with diabetes: 5 gentle skin-care tips

By Karis Gabrielson, R.N.

People with diabetes are prone to dry, itchy skin. That's partly because when blood sugar is high, the body — including the skin — loses fluid.

And, if you have diabetes, dry skin can be more than an itchy irritation. If your skin cracks — and allows germs in — it could lead to a potentially dangerous infection.

That's why you want to do all you can to care for dry skin — or better yet, prevent it altogether. Of course, to do that, it's important to control your blood sugar. Work closely with your doctor to make sure it stays within your goal range.



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3 reasons mandatory paid sick days are a good idea

March 6, 2012 by Christian Schappel

One organization is trying to sell employers in New York City on the idea of mandatory paid sick days for workers. Its reasoning?

Requiring companies to give employees access to paid sick days would:

1. Improve employees’ health
2. Decrease the likelihood that employees will delay medical care for themselves or their family members, and
3. Reduce the number of visits to hospital emergency rooms, which would reduce healthcare costs by $35.5 million.

Those are the assertions of the Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWRP).

Using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2009-2010 National Health Interview Survey, the IWRP has estimated the size of the impact that access to paid sick days would have in New York City. 

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Tip Tuesday! 6 reliable sites for cancer information

By Michael W. Rosen, M.D.

Cancer is a complex disease. And, when you're researching it online, just any site won't do. You need information you can trust.

Maybe you're curious about a screening. Or, perhaps you want to learn more about treatment options. Or, you'd like to know how to help a friend who is living with cancer.

There are a lot of reasons people seek cancer information online. Below are six reliable resources. Of course, when it comes to specific questions about your health, it's best to talk with your doctor.


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Time and Attendance – An Important Function for Employers

HR/Employer Services

Keeping track of employees’ time and their attendance is a huge burden for employers. Are they at work? Are they on vacation? Did they clock in on time? These are all important items to know, but often difficult to manage.

Time is important – to everyone, yet over 40 percent of organizations have not automated timekeeping. And despite its importance, most companies don’t realize how much money they waste on sub-optimal timekeeping.

• According to the American Payroll Association (APA), companies that lack automated timekeeping have up to an 8 percent error rate on their payroll.

• The APA states that 4 hours and 5 minutes are wasted per employee per pay period taking long lunches, being tardy and leaving early.

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DOL issues new FMLA forms: What’s changed?

March 5, 2012 by Christian Schappel

Since the Department of Labor’s last set of Family Medical Leave Act forms expired at the end of 2011, employers have been waiting for new ones. Well, they’ve finally arrived, and here’s what’s changed about them: 

Not much. The most significant change was to the expiration dates. The new model forms state that they are good through Feb. 28, 2015.

At a minimum, employers expected the new forms to make reference to the amendments to military family leave and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) safe harbor language.

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Tip Tuesday: 4 Reasons You Should Drink Enough Water

You can go without food for days, weeks and even months, but going without water for just one day can negatively impact your health. Many people don’t realize just how important water really is. The human body is made up of 2/3 (66%) water and when we lose just a little bit of water through sweat and elimination, and we do not replenish lost liquid, we’ll begin to notice the effects to our health right away.

Health Effects of Going without Water

Water is the most valuable life support product for our health, right up there with oxygen. Water and oxygen are the only two things in life that without for just a short period of time we would die.  Studies have been done that show if a 175 pound man were to lose just 2.5% of water in his body (2 quarts) he will lose 25% of his body’s effectiveness towards survival.

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Keep your blood pressure in check

Hypertension is the term used to describe high blood pressure. High blood pressure causes the heart to work harder than normal and the blood vessels to get harder and less flexible over time. This puts you at a higher risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure and kidney damage. Your blood pressure is considered high if you have a systolic blood pressure of 140 or greater or a diastolic pressure of 90 or greater. A healthy adult has a blood pressure of less than 130/80 mmHg.

High blood pressure can be controlled through lifestyle changes and, if needed, blood pressure lowering medications. We encourage you to have your blood pressure monitored regularly. If you have high blood pressure, your doctor may recommend these lifestyle changes: 

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Why employee morale’s even more important than you think

February 20, 2012 by Dan Wisniewski

It sounds like a bunch of new-age hooey: Employees with positive mindsets perform better at work.  But new research shows that workers with a good attitude are more productive, more engaged and have better morale.

Researcher Shawn Achor, writing on the Harvard Business Review blog, discussed research where he asked workers to take part in what were called “positive habits.” 

The activities included:

• jotting down three things they were grateful for
• writing a positive message to someone in their social circle
• meditating at their desk for two minutes
• exercising for 10 minutes, and
• taking two minutes to describe in a journal the most meaningful experience of the past 24 hours.

After three weeks, the workers  scored high on a “life satisfaction” scale – a measure of their outlook on life.

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