A healthier mouth for a healthier future

By Michael D. Weitzner, D.M.D., M.S.

 

You use your toothbrush every day because that's what's good for your teeth and gums, right? But, did you know it's a habit that may benefit your health in other ways, too?

The mouth-body connection
There's growing evidence that having a healthy mouth — free from gum disease — may be associated with a lower risk of certain health conditions. Those include heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

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Tip Tuesday! A Limit on Consumer Costs Is Delayed in Health Care Law

By Robert Pear

WASHINGTON — In another setback for President Obama’s health care initiative, the administration has delayed until 2015 a significant consumer protection in the law that limits how much people may have to spend on their own health care.

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What do Obamacare, Oprah Winfrey and Alicia Keys have in common?

By Christian Schoppel

 

In case you haven’t heard, the Obama Administration could have a big problem on its hands come Oct. 1.

The administration has said it needs about 2.7 million young adults (between the ages of 18 and 35) to sign up for insurance in the state exchanges in order to prevent premiums from spiking for everyone else.

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Weight and aging: Secrets to holding steady

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

As we get older, we tend to grow in both wisdom and confidence. But, there can be less welcome gains as well — such as extra pounds and a bulging waistline. And, for many of us, this troubling trend can begin in our 40s or 30s — or even younger.

So, why does this tend to happen?

 

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Obamacare: 3 things you’ll want to tell employees today

By Christian Schappel

 

The healthcare reform law is in constant flux. The regulations governing how to comply with it keep being released in dribs and drabs, rewritten, delayed and rewritten again. As a result, employees have no idea how Obamacare will impact them.

Here’s an example of just how confused employees are: The new Health Tracking Poll by The Kaiser Family Foundation discovered that four out of every 10 American adults aren’t even aware that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is still the law of the land and being implemented. Yikes!

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Tip Tuesday! 5 big mistakes that will get you sued under the ADA

By
Christian Schappel

This year, it’s expected that nearly 30,000 ADA-related claims will be filed against employers with the EEOC. A big part of the reason: Some employers have gotten their wires crossed when it comes to complying with some of the more confusing aspects of the law.
In 2012 alone the EEOC says, 26,379 disability claims were filed, and the agency collected a whopping $103.4 million in damages resulting from those claims.
To help employers keep themselves from becoming part of those bleak statistics, employment law attorney Jeffrey S. Kopp from the firm Foley & Lardner, LLP, recently pointed out five of the worst mistakes employers make that expose them to EEOC discrimination claims and employee lawsuits:

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6 other ways wellness programs produce big ROI for employers

By Christian Schappel

The No. 1 goal of wellness programs is to save money. And for the most part, research has proven they’re successful at doing just that. But new research shows employers benefit from wellness plans in six other ways as well.

In addition to the healthcare cost savings employer-sponsored wellness program can generate (anywhere from $2.71 for every dollar spent to $3.27, depending on the studies you read), the 2013 Aflac WorkForces Report revealed that employers with wellness plans benefit from them via increases in these areas: Click here to continue reading.