 |
| Sep 30, 2009 |
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CDHP adoption rate rose among big employers, despite the economy |
| Sep 16, 2009 |
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Employees like their health plans, despite gaps in understanding |
| Sep 10, 2009 |
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Obama proposes controversial employer mandate, public option |
| Sep 1, 2009 |
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Hospital cracks down on ER visits |
| Aug 20, 2009 |
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COBRA enrollment soars, reports Hewitt |
| Aug 11, 2009 |
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NY law seen as harbinger of more state health reform |
| Aug 4, 2009 |
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Near-term health trends familiar, irrespective of reform |
| Jul 21, 2009 |
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Employers lukewarm on public-plan option, survey shows |
| Jul 17, 2009 |
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House committee approves health reform bill |
| Jul 15, 2009 |
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Senate committee passes health reform bill |
| Jul 7, 2009 |
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‘Pay or play’ not as painful as originally thought |
| Jul 1, 2009 |
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Five costly conditions to watch |
| Jun 30, 2009 |
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Americans go online for health information |
| Jun 23, 2009 |
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Pennsylvania passes mini-COBRA law |
| Jun 16, 2009 |
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Health benefits taxation takes center stage |
| Jun 8, 2009 |
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Obama alters stance on health reform proposals |
| May 28, 2009 |
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Mail trail shows health insurers readying for reform |
| May 19, 2009 |
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Health care costs hit women harder |
| May 7, 2009 |
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To see a doctor, get in line |
| May 1, 2009 |
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Considering the exit ramp: Employers rethink offering health benefits |
| Apr 23, 2009 |
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Hard times tighten ‘use-it-or-loss-it’ bond to health benefits |
| Apr 13, 2009 |
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COBRA subsidy expected to be costly |
| Apr 6, 2009 |
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Workplace wellness bill reintroduced with greater support |
| Mar 24, 2009 |
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New COBRA model notices released |
| Mar 10, 2009 |
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Twelve ways to slash medical bills |
| Mar 1, 2009 |
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Self-insuring is a way for employers to get 'a whole lotta cannoli' |
| Feb 23, 2009 |
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Employers turn to eligibility audits, voluntary benefits to control health care costs |
| Feb 11, 2009 |
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Senate, House debate COBRA subsidy |
| Feb 3, 2009 |
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Dems optimistic on comprehensive health reform |
| Feb 1, 2009 |
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How's this for an incentive? You get to keep your health insurance |
| Jan 27, 2009 |
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Medicare reimbursement shakes things up |
| Jan 20, 2009 |
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Health benefit costs continue to rise, survey shows |
| Jan 13, 2009 |
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N.Y. proposes policy requiring employers to extend dependent coverage |
| Jan 1, 2009 |
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Health care reform to take center stage this year |
| Dec 16, 2008 |
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Employees cut back on health costs - for better or worse |
| Dec 1, 2008 |
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Moderating health care costs could signal trouble ahead |
| Nov 25, 2008 |
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Tobacco addiction costs employers $167.5 billion a year |
| Nov 18, 2008 |
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Benefits professionals favor drastically reworked employer-based systems in new administration |
| Nov 11, 2008 |
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Employers urged to flex muscle on health care reform |
| Nov 4, 2008 |
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Obesity epidemic remains a battle |
| Nov 1, 2008 |
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Evidence shows positive outcomes from greater investment in primary care |
| Oct 21, 2008 |
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Losing sight of wellness program goals |
| Oct 14, 2008 |
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DOL seeks comments on how health plans use genetic data |
| Oct 1, 2008 |
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More patients heading to the emergency room |
| Sep 23, 2008 |
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BFE: Up your FMLA ante with these helpful tips |
| Sep 15, 2008 |
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Companies combat high HMO premiums with aggressive strategies |
| Sep 8, 2008 |
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Steady support for wellness and disease management |
| Sep 1, 2008 |
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Chronic conditions afflict more than half of Americans |
| Aug 12, 2008 |
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HHS wants wellness program advice |
| Aug 1, 2008 |
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Attention all shoppers: How to be a smart PBM shopper |
| Jul 15, 2008 |
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Parties stand far apart on health care reform |
| Jul 10, 2008 |
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Benefits to protect— and add— during economic downturns |
| Jul 1, 2008 |
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Seven Self-Insurance Myths |
| Jun 24, 2008 |
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Growth of employer medical costs projected to accelerate |
| Jun 15, 2008 |
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Pushing the envelope: Zero tolerance on tobacco use |
| Jun 1, 2008 |
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A new direction for health care reform and HMOs |
| May 27, 2008 |
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What's next for health care reform? |
| May 20, 2008 |
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Ohio, W.Va. and Pa. say no to CDHPs, survey reports |
| May 6, 2008 |
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Health plan study shows performance varies region to region |
| May 1, 2008 |
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Benefits finance: Is a self-insured health plan right for your company? |
| Apr 29, 2008 |
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HHS Secretary Leavitt backs value-based health care |
| Apr 22, 2008 |
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Obesity costs employers $45 billion a year |
| Apr 10, 2008 |
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Want to reduce sick days by an average of 41%? The solution is easy. Just walk. |
| Apr 1, 2008 |
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Robust incentives may improve retention rates in wellness programs |
| Mar 25, 2008 |
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Mercer Report: Employers focus on generic and specialty drugs to reduce Rx costs |
| Mar 11, 2008 |
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How to make your PBM more accountable |
| Mar 6, 2008 |
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Americans alarmed by gaps in quality health care delivery |
| Feb 21, 2008 |
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PBMI launches career center for drug benefit industry |
| Feb 12, 2008 |
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Business group wants to reduce health disparities among minorities |
| Feb 5, 2008 |
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Using incentives for health risk appraisals |
| Jan 31, 2008 |
|
Mid-size employer turns to "hybrid" CDHP model |
| Jan 15, 2008 |
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Employees take advantage of wellness resources - when they're available |
| Jan 8, 2008 |
|
Consumers are in the dark on health insurance terminology |
| Jan 1, 2008 |
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Checking the label: Transparency, generics utilization key components to effective PBM relationship |
| Dec 18, 2007 |
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Group counters belief that benefits sky is falling |
| Dec 4, 2007 |
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Touting large-scale ideas for health reform |
| Nov 20, 2007 |
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Health benefit costs still outpace the rate of inflation |
| Nov 8, 2007 |
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Toolkit outlines best practices in health coverage for mothers, children and adolescents |
| Nov 1, 2007 |
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Communications, wellness prove challenging for HR |
| Oct 15, 2007 |
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HealthMarkets charged with misleading customers and denying required care |
| Oct 4, 2007 |
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Is your company prepared for a pandemic? |
| Sep 25, 2007 |
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Focus on health plan design paying off for employers |
| Sep 15, 2007 |
|
iPhone puts consumers' health records in the palm of hand |
| Aug 23, 2007 |
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Health insurers are starting to focus on value-driven plans |
| Aug 9, 2007 |
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California to produce first PPO report card |
| Aug 1, 2007 |
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Chicago museum makes walking exhibit grounds cornerstone of successful, no-frills wellness program |
| Jul 24, 2007 |
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Health care costs top employer concerns |
| Jul 12, 2007 |
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Benefit professionals react to Moore's depiction of health care |
| Jul 1, 2007 |
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Creating wellness incentives that resonate with workers |
| Jun 21, 2007 |
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Health insurance inflation is slowing down |
| Jun 15, 2007 |
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On the contrary: Employers not looking to shift costs |
| Jun 1, 2007 |
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Can't we all just get along? Achieving successful benefits integration with multiple carriers |
| May 17, 2007 |
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Employers shift focus to prevention |
| May 17, 2005 |
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Employers shift focus to prevention |
| May 8, 2007 |
|
Fortune 500 firms push for health reform |
| May 2, 2007 |
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Biotech drug costs skyrocket |
| Apr 26, 2007 |
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Experts help small firms with health plans |
| Apr 18, 2007 |
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Group says health premium jumps should be justified |
| Apr 5, 2007 |
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HMOs more cost-effective in California |
| Mar 20, 2007 |
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CVS buys Caremark |
| Mar 6, 2007 |
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Americans value e-health services |
| Feb 22, 2007 |
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Top-rated hospitals have lower mortality rates |
| Feb 5, 2007 |
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Participation in wellness programs grows |
| Jan 25, 2007 |
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Country reacts to Bush health care proposal |
| Jan 16, 2007 |
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FMLA ruling protects subsidiaries |
| Jan 10, 2007 |
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Latest CDH trend may be plan attrition |
| Jan 3, 2007 |
|
Tool helps employers keep up with the "Joneses" |
| Dec 20, 2006 |
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Majority unaware of medical costs |
| Dec 13, 2006 |
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Bill makes HSAs more flexible |
| Dec 5, 2006 |
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Half of CDHP users would switch plans if possible |
| Dec 1, 2006 |
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Health inflation lower, but worries grow over "fraying benefits" |
| Nov 30, 2006 |
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NBGH launches free guide to preventive care |
| Nov 16, 2006 |
|
Medical costs may show double-digit increase in 2007 |
| Nov 7, 2006 |
|
Most workers do not use FSAs |
| Oct 25, 2006 |
|
PBMs keeping up with Wal-Mart |
| Oct 17, 2006 |
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Consumers prefer generics to brand drugs |
| Oct 11, 2006 |
|
Workers worried about future of health benefits |
| Oct 1, 2006 |
|
Dental providers embark on new ways to offer benefits |
| Sep 20, 2006 |
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Questions remain about provider quality programs |
| Sep 15, 2006 |
|
Cheaper Zocor throws generic market a curveball |
| Sep 6, 2006 |
|
HSA assets surge over past six months |
| Sep 1, 2006 |
|
Consumers get more tools to gauge medical costs, quality |
| Aug 31, 2006 |
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Workers motivated by richer benefits |
| Aug 24, 2006 |
|
Bush compels price and quality transparency in health care |
| Aug 17, 2006 |
|
Workers uneasy about pay, health care |
| Aug 9, 2006 |
|
HMOs account for one quarter of insurance market |
| Aug 1, 2006 |
|
Generics influx drags prescription drug trend to seven-year low |
| Jul 25, 2006 |
|
Depression costs related to health care access |
| Jul 12, 2006 |
|
Research shows effects of quality ratings for surgeons |
| Jul 6, 2006 |
|
Employers portend scaling back retiree medical benefits |
| Jun 20, 2006 |
|
Tips for CDHP roll-outs |
| Jun 15, 2006 |
|
Ohioans recoup $6.5 million in health claims |
| Jun 8, 2006 |
|
Not-so-great expectations for health costs |
| Jun 1, 2006 |
|
Vermont latest state to pass health reform |
| May 30, 2006 |
|
Study gauges health data gap |
| May 17, 2006 |
|
Most employers do not offer DM, wellness, but they want to |
| May 10, 2006 |
|
Declining employer-sponsored health plans documented |
| Apr 27, 2006 |
|
Workers build muscle with incentives |
| Apr 25, 2006 |
|
Change coverage to lower pregnancy cost |
| Apr 20, 2006 |
|
Health experts face off on access vs. innovation |
| Apr 15, 2005 |
|
Target draws bead on consumer-driven health care |
| Apr 11, 2006 |
|
Female employers worry about skyrocketing health costs |
| Apr 5, 2006 |
|
Mental health benefits add value, not cost |
| Mar 27, 2006 |
|
Validate your health ROI to the CFO |
| Mar 21, 2006 |
|
Variety of strategies needed to curb health costs |
| Mar 9, 2006 |
|
Managers doubt CDH will make workers healthier |
| Mar 1, 2006 |
|
Health care to account for 20% of GDP by 2015 |
| Feb 23, 2006 |
|
Higher co-pay differentials increase generic fill rates |
| Feb 14, 2006 |
|
Consumer advocates worry about health data privacy |
| Feb 7, 2006 |
|
Cost and talent issues challenge benefit professionals |
| Jan 25, 2006 |
|
More than half of seniors stay away from Part D |
| Jan 15, 2006 |
|
Mind the Meds: Top 10 pharmacy benefits management strategies for 2006 |
| Jan 2, 2006 |
|
Put your health care eggs in many baskets |
| Dec 14, 2005 |
|
CDH participants dissatisfied but frugal |
| Dec 8, 2005 |
|
Health care banking gets the Blues |
| Dec 1, 2005 |
|
Generic drugs offer employers untapped savings |
| Nov 29, 2005 |
|
Care management, cost-shifting reduce health costs |
| Nov 17, 2005 |
|
Pay-for-performance generates quality improvements |
| Nov 15, 2005 |
|
Employers should examine full impact of obesity |
| Nov 3, 2005 |
|
US CEOs more health care cost conscious |
| Nov 1, 2005 |
|
Health cost relief takes center stage at BMF&E |
| Oct 25, 2005 |
|
Wal-Mart extends lower-cost health insurance |
| Oct 11, 2005 |
|
Large companies find lower health care hikes since 1999 |
| Sep 21, 2005 |
|
Cost-shift trend is also costing brokers |
| Sep 15, 2005 |
|
Financial incentives touted as health care cost fix |
| Sep 8, 2005 |
|
PBM mail-order pharmacies deliver cheaper drugs |
| Aug 31, 2005 |
|
A spoonful of compliance helps health costs go down |
| Aug 18, 2005 |
|
AutoNation claims UnitedHealthcare overpaid by $10 million |
| Aug 16, 2005 |
|
Consumers elevate HMOs over PPOs |
| Aug 9, 2005 |
|
Medical cost containment depends on changing habits |
| Aug 2, 2005 |
|
Employers could see relief in benefit costs |
| Jul 26, 2005 |
|
PBMs scoop up specialty pharmacies |
| Jul 15, 2005 |
|
Off and running: Self-funded employers may have head start in push for wellness |
| Jul 5, 2005 |
|
Walgreens says drug costs rose 7.2% in 2004 |
| Jun 28, 2005 |
|
More than half of employers concerned about wellness |
| Jan 21, 2005 |
|
Benefit managers offer best ways to ease health costs |
| Jun 14, 2005 |
|
UnitedHealth has a million in consumer-driven plans |
| Jun 9, 2005 |
|
Uninsured worsen medical inflation for workers |
| Jun 1, 2005 |
|
New study puts medical costs into focus |
| May 24, 2005 |
|
Disease management has become the norm |
| May 10, 2005 |
|
Unions found to have better access to health insurance |
| May 4, 2005 |
|
Employers don't lie down for higher premiums |
| Apr 28, 2005 |
|
Mandatory health insurance rejected in California |
| Apr 21, 2005 |
|
GM says health costs partly to blame for first-quarter losses |
| Apr 12, 2005 |
|
Group launches program to buy health insurance in bulk |
| Apr 7, 2005 |
|
Maryland considers bill that mandates benefits spending |
| Mar 25, 2005 |
|
Many would sacrifice choice for lower health costs |
| Mar 15, 2005 |
|
State health mandates scrutinized |
| Feb 9, 2005 |
|
Scandals may prompt more online insurance bidding |
| Jan 19, 2005 |
|
Employers should investigate disease management math crimes |
| Jan 12, 2005 |
|
Clients tackle medical inflation roots |
| Jan 8, 2005 |
|
Employees prefer work-based insurance |
| Dec 21, 2004 |
|
Automated Systems For Drugs Examined |
| Dec 14, 2004 |
|
Companies Rapidly Cutting Health Benefits |
| Dec 2, 2004 |
|
40 Percent in U.S. Use Prescription Drugs |
| Nov 1, 2004 |
|
Your New Health Plan |
| Sep 27, 2004 |
|
Health costs rising faster than incomes, study says |
| Sep 13, 2004 |
|
Employers slow shift of health care cost burden to workers |
| Aug 10, 2004 |
|
Health care costs employers more than paid leave |
| Jul 15, 2004 |
|
Health insurers lost $85 billion to fraud last year |
| Jul 22, 2004 |
|
Health and productivity management intrigues firms |
| Jun 4, 2004 |
|
Rising benefit costs hurt small businesses' financial health |
| Feb 28, 2004 |
|
Strike-weary grocery workers eye new offer |
| Feb 28, 2004 |
|
Experts ponder limitations of cost-sharing |
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Benefits to protect— and add— during economic downturns
There are five employee benefits that should be protected during down times, and they have one thing in common: personal accountability. These benefits use company resources to provide long-term advantages to both the organization and the employee – but only if the employee is willing to meet the organizational investment with his or her own efforts.
An economic downturn is a good time for all of us to become more fluent in the competency of personal accountability, and the organization can help shape this experience for all employees.
1. Health care benefits
Health care benefit packages are often a first focus of employer-initiated cuts in a recession due to the tremendous increases in premium rates over the past years. Many companies have faced annual increases up to 30% each year. But cutting health care benefits should truly be a last resort. Access to appropriate health care is a highly regarded benefit by employees, oftentimes the primary reason that employees are staying with their current employer. Changes in health benefit packages can lead to the loss of key talent. Another unanticipated consequence for the employee is an increased chance of bankruptcy due to uncovered health care costs. It's estimated that up to 75% of personal bankruptcy cases were instigated by the inability to pay for major medical episodes. While not only adding stress and wreaking havoc in the lives of your employees, in many industries, bankruptcies can affect their ability to be bonded or insured to perform key functions of their jobs. Employees under financial duress will also increase the risk of fraud and other money-seeking behaviors.
2. Wellness programs and fitness facilities
It's vital to provide avenues through which employees can maintain their fitness and wellness regardless of the economy's current health status. Fitness programs offer important stress relief along with long-term impact to an organization's vitality and health care costs. Sending the message that one's wellness is optional depending upon the availability of resources will detract significantly from the years of messaging organizations have put forth regarding the importance of the prevention of chronic disease through fitness programs.
3. Employee assistance programs
Employee assistance programs can help employees and their families navigate through personal issues ranging from marriage difficulties to financial insolvency. These programs are an important part of keeping managers focused on running the business and not spending a great amount of time and resources coaching employees on personal issues. The manager can make a referral to the EAP, be assured that the employee is receiving professional guidance, and return to the business of turning talent into productivity.
4. Employee development opportunities
The demands on the organization's workforce increase during times of recession, and employees often are asked to do more with fewer resources. Remember that 75% of employee development comes as a result of on-the-job experiences, as opposed to training classes, that are supported through education, coaching, feedback and mentoring. Make the most of these new challenges for your employees by turning them into development opportunities. Support managers and employees by teaching them to create individualized development plans that outline the new assignments and identify the additional support that will ensure the success of the employee. Implement mentoring programs that match veterans in the organization with employees who are meeting some of the challenges and assignments for the first time. Offer membership in online coaching/development communities such as thegurunation.com to your employees. Such memberships give them access to great content, material, podcasts, training sessions, mentors and coaches 24 hours a day at a nominal monthly membership fee. Reward them for taking on the challenge of development and reinforce the employee's positive growth. Enlist successful and developing employees in the coaching and teaching of other employees as they are tapped to take on greater challenges.
5. Employee retreats and all-hands meetings
Intuitively, employers begin to cut back on retreats and meetings that involve travel and expense to bring people together face to face to receive important information regarding the company and to connect with teammates. Because the results of enhanced teambuilding and increased buy-in and alignment to the company vision can be difficult to measure and prove, the importance of these activities is often discounted. Big mistake!
Many leaders over manage and under lead in stressful times – focusing on the increased complexity in the business rather than on the important leadership function of capturing the hearts and minds of their people. Disengagement comes when outstanding performance is not recognized and up to 60% of the employees are left to decide on their own whether to "join up" or engage during tough times. To ensure engagement when you need to protect it the most, continue the investment in employee retreats and all-hands meetings. These events are times to capture buy-in and engagement, communicate a clear and compelling vision, develop teams and ensure that all are aligned with the direction of the organization. The impact on morale, motivation and alignment in day-to-day decision making from such events is tremendous.
Create a competitive advantage: Add benefits
Rather than responding with an attitude of "scarcity" during tough times, organizations can reframe their viewpoint and instead use a time of recession to their advantage when competing for talent. Instead of focusing on what to cut or not to cut, consider the potential return on investment from enhancing benefits that could attract key talent from other organizations. A recession could be a time to strengthen an organization's employee brand as one that values talent above all else.
Consider the following low-cost ways to bring additional benefits to employees who need the most support during tough times.
Develop work-at-home programs.
Take this opportunity to get serious about a work-at-home option for employees. Resist the urge to see all of the potential disadvantages of having less oversight and focus on using the program to reward highly responsible employees. Turn to your best and brightest employees to provide you with ideas about which positions could work from home completely or as an added benefit part of the workweek. They know the jobs best and can outline both how to make it happen and how to best manage the risks involved. Even offering productive employees one day a week to work from home is equal to offering them a substantial raise (the money they save from their commute) and even more importantly, a promotion in that they can self manage, have freedom to organize their work as they see fit, and be trusted at a new level in their position. A work-from-home option can be a key recruiting tool to attract great talent away from less flexible competitors.
Increase development opportunities at the workplace.
Get creative and actually increase the number of training and development experiences in the workplace. Work together with other organizations that are also short on training dollars to share the cost of bringing in top speakers. Offer a session with the speaker to nonprofit organizations, inviting them into your organization and benefit from the potential tax write-off of the donation to offset the speaker's fee. Use the talent on your staff. Tap into the financial acumen of the people in your accounting division to offer programs on personal financial best practices. Increase the size of your lending library and have the HR generalists lead book club sessions in the business units. The HR generalists will benefit by enhancing their business acumen and the business unit participants will increase their knowledge of leadership topics through the interaction.
Pass them on . . . the benefits, that is.
Inventory the many benefits received by your senior leadership and executive team in response to memberships in organizations and from their roles in the community. What may seem like minor benefits to the executives – and which often go unused – will be highly valued by your employees. For instance, tickets to sporting events, invitations to golf tournaments, even invites to celebrations or festivals can be collected, organized and passed on to employees through giveaways, drawings, recognition for outstanding performance or on a rotational basis. Many country club memberships offer benefits to guest players that can be passed on to employees. In one company alone, we were able to collect over 100 occasions for employees to attend free events – opportunities that had already been paid for or received by executives that would have otherwise gone unused.
Enhance employee knowledge of the current benefit package
Educate your employees to ensure they're taking full advantage of the benefits they currently have. Many employees are not using all their benefits – such as pre-tax savings accounts – to their advantage. By re-educating employees, they may choose to use their benefits differently given the changing circumstances they may find themselves in. Provide personal consultants to make sure that employees are getting the most from their current benefits. The HR consultants also benefit as they leave these meetings with a greater sense of which benefits are most valued by the employees.
Implement cafeteria-style benefits
If you must make some tough choices on the benefits and/or benefits that your organization can offer, give the power of choice to the employees. Find ways in which to personalize the benefit packages through the use of "cafeteria-style" benefit packages. Employees receive a dollar value or maximum value that they can spend and a series of options from which they can choose. This affords an employee the freedom to use their benefit dollars to the best advantage for themselves and their families, adjusting to their current situation and current needs. This technique can soften the blow of benefit cuts as it allows for personal choice. – E.B.N.
Cynthia "Cy" Wakeman |
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