Archive for August, 2010
Wellness Programs : The Danger of Staff Member Camera Phones.
Authorizing staff to bring camera phones to work can carry hidden legal risks.
But should you tackle this issue aggressively or trust your workforce to do the right thing? Every employer wants to develop an environment where workforce feel trusted by management. But there’s also the need to stay protected legally, and it isn’t always [...]
Wellness Programs : Does Value-Based Healthcare Save Money?
In a value-based plan, the idea is to reward staff for seeking treatments that promote wellness.
The more clinically viable the treatment, the less an staff member compensates out of pocket for it.
Example – Women over 40 and younger staff with a family history of breast cancer pay less for a each year mammogram than [...]
Wellness Programs : Worker Privacy.
As scary as they seem at first glance, complying with HIPAA’s privacy rules may be relatively painless.
Contrary to common belief, the rules – with a few key exceptions – apply only to a fraction of the health information Benefits handles.
As long as the organization remains legally “hands off” of employee’s private health information, you can [...]
Wellness Programs : PBM Issues.
Many firms are still missing an opportunity to trim some medical plan costs.
Generic versions of high-cholesterol drug Zocor have been on market for two years now, but a fair share of business drug store plans have yet to make the switch.
When your PBM gives generic Zocor favored status on the formulary, now’s a good time [...]
Wellness Programs : Scary Health Coverage Laws.
When it comes to health-coverage laws, there’s often a domino effect.
As individual states require insurers – and in some cases, employers – to cover or offer coverage of specific individuals and procedures, similar laws can spread quickly to other states.
The effect on plan sponsors – Some mandates can increase your costs by 20% to 45%.
Small [...]
Wellness Programs : High-paid Employees Worry About Medical Costs.
Who worries more about healthcare costs – lower-compensated or higher compensated employees?
Answer – Both groups worry equally about their out-of-pocket healthcare costs, as reported by a PNC Services Group survey of 1,485 staff members. Nearly 52 percent of all respondents – regardless of income -cited the unpredictability of healthcare costs as their No. 1 financial-planning [...]
Wellness Programs : Major Reason for Worker Benefit Lawsuits.
It could be easier than you think to eliminate a major reason employees sue.
How? Well, roughly 75 percent of employee lawsuits happen because of accidental disconnects between an company’s internal policies and procedures, and what’s written in the plan documents.
Here are two areas where some the costliest errors lurk, and three steps your fim can [...]
Wellness Programs : Worker Benefits Communication.
Nine of 10 HR managers polled by Colonial Life feel that personnel have at least a vague notion that benefits are a valuable part of working at a organization.
Notwithstanding, the same study found that only 21% of those businesss believed their staff members had a strong understanding of the workings of their own benefits. and [...]
Wellness Programs : Health Insurance Carriers Overcharging Patrons.
Incorrect billing from health insurance carriers is more common than you could think. The typical plan sponsor can get overcharged by 5% a year, as reported by brokerage and consulting firm Corporate Synergies Group.
Like most companies, insurance carriers rarely keep perfectly up-to-date records on their customers. As a result, plan sponsors often get charged for [...]
Wellness Programs : Financial Wellness
With the downturn in the economy, it seems like most corporations are shifting their focus when it comes to employee benefits and compensation. The current situation is also very stressful on benefits managers.
In times like these, it’s critical for peers to share their concerns, experiences suggestions. Several weeks ago, HRBenefitsAlert.com ran a special report on [...]
