The Evil Presence that Lurks in the Workplace at Halloween
Originally posted by Denise Rand on https://hrdailyadvisor.blr.com
Halloween can be a very scary time of the year for HR pros! An evil presence is out to kill the efforts being put into company wellness programs—Halloween candy. Yes, it seems like Halloween becomes the end of year "kickoff party" for calorie-, sugar-, and fat-filled holiday celebrations in workplaces, sabotaging companies’ health efforts.
And besides candy, it’s a safe bet there will be plenty of orange-colored cakes, cupcakes, donuts, and even orange bagels within easy reach. However, there are some proactive steps the HR department can take to keep your employees from falling victim to a sugar rush and extra holiday pounds.
Health experts Dian Griesel, PhD, and Tom Griesel, authors of the book The TurboCharged Mind (January 2012, BSH), offer the following tips to avoid a crash:
- Make an office resolution to keep out of the office all the extra candy that the kids brought home or that didn’t go to the trick-or-treaters.
- Start the day by brewing a pot of pumpkin-flavored coffee or tea. This should help get coworkers in the spirit of things.
- Bring in a variety of fruit for morning break and colored veggies for enjoyment at lunch or afternoon break.
- Take a lunchtime walk to see the change of foliage and get some fresh autumn air.
- If your “office bakers” must produce Halloween treats, have them try making a gluten-free, low-, or sugar-free pumpkin pie. There are even many recipes for crust-less, no-shortening versions that make things even more healthful—and easy.
Top 10 Tricks for a Healthier, High-Energy Workday
Originally posted by Whitson Gordon on https://lifehacker.com
Working at an office can be surprisingly unhealthy. Between sitting all day, eating poorly, and enduring never-ending stress, your office can take a few years off your life. Here's how to stay healthy and energetic at the office (and make the day go by faster).
10. Eat Healthy, All Day Long
Ever have those days at work where you just feel exhausted and can't get anything done? There are a lot of ways to solve that problem, but the #1 fix is healthy eating (starting with breakfast). You should eat your most hearty meal in the morning, when you need the most energy, and continue eating healthily throughout the day to avoid crashes during your productive time. Eating lunch away from your desk can help, too.
9. Set Up a More Ergonomic Workspace
It may not seem like it, but sitting at your desk all day can wreak havoc with your wrists, back, neck, and other body parts if done improperly. Thankfully, it's really easy to set up an ergonomic workspace, without spending a ton of money. Most of it is practicing good posture and positioning your keyboard and mouse properly, though a good office chair is a good investment.
8. Get Up and Move
Having an ergonomic workspace isn't enough, though—all that sitting is still killing you. So, to keep yourself healthy and really avoid RSI injury, it's important to take frequent breaks. All you need is five minutes every once in awhile—in fact, we've created a schedule template that'll make sure you get enough time away from your workspace. If you really want to get out of that chair, a standing desk can be a really great solution too—many people, including Lifehacker's own founding editor Gina Trapani, swear by it.
7. Avoid Eyestrain at Your Computer
Ever get eye pain or headaches at the end of the day, but aren't really sure why? It's probably from staring at that computer all day. The aforementioned breaks can help combat eyestrain quite a bit, but a few of us at Lifehacker have also found that computer-oriented glasses likeGunnars can make a big difference, too.
6. Be Friends with Your Coworkers
Coworkers can be distracting and annoying, but being friends with them can actually make work a lot less stressful. In fact, one study even found that people who were friendly with their coworkers actually lived longer. Even if we're just talking productivity, knowing which coworkers will help you in a bind is incredibly useful, and easy to do with a single email. As long as you keep yourself from getting distracted, office friends can actually be good for your productivity and health.
5. Fit More Exercise Into Your Schedule
Getting regular exercise is one of the best ways to stay healthy and keep your energy level up, but getting regular exercise with a demanding job is tough. This 20-minute exercise plan is a good starting point, though you can also work small bouts of exercise into your day without a full "workout." Working out at work is possible, but tough, so it's up to you to try things out and see what works.
4. Cultivate Personal Rituals that Keep You Sane
It may seem silly, but little personal rituals during the day—whether it's a relaxing afternoon cup of tea or kicking back with the funnies—can really improve your mental and physical health. So don't neglect them! You should already be taking a few breaks during the day (see tip #8), so use them to your advantage. Having a good daily routine can go a long way. .
3. Get Better Sleep (or Sneak In a Nap)
You already know lack of sleep is bad for your work and health, but few of us actually do something about it. Well, it's time. Try sneaking in a nap at work if you can't force yourself to get enough sleep at night. Even a short power nap can keep you productive and creative. Justmake sure your nap isn't too short (or too long) and you'll be on your way to a more productive workday.
2. Work Smarter, Not Harder
Working yourself to the bone can create stress and really weigh on your health. If you're a regular reader of Lifehacker, you know our main philosophy is to work smart, not hard: that means using your time efficiently, doing your most important work during your body's high-energy hours, and avoiding the "cult of busy." The smarter you work, the less time you have to spend stressing out over everything you have to do.
1. Go Home
Building off the above: more hours does not equal more work. Ask yourself: how many hours do you work a week? Most research shows that if it's over 40 hours, you're hurting your productivity, your health, and your income (since you're working fewer hours for the same pay). The key? Stop working and go home at night. It's more challenging than it sounds, but it's well worth it.
Cost savings attributed to self-funding, wellness
Originally published September 6, 2013 by Tristan Lejeune on https://ebn.benefitnews.com
Dianne Howard has understandably made a number of changes during her tenure as director of risk and benefits management with the School District of Palm Beach County, Fla. - after all, she's been there for 18 years. One change in particular six years ago paved the way for many other beneficial ones: The district went self-funded. It's a shift that may not be an option for many employers, but Howard - winner of the 2013 Benny Award for Benefits Leadership in Health Care - says it allowed her to be more hands-on with internal policies and institute real, lasting improvements.
"I'm a big believer in self-insurance," Howard says. "I think you can buy excess insurance to protect yourself, you know, specific and aggregate. You can't be too small, but for groups of 1,000 or more, it's the way to go. You can control things, you can subcontract, you can get in there and say, 'Well, why is this costing us so much money?'"
She recalls an incident where MRIs - hundreds of them in total - were being paid for without having the deductible applied. Providers never informed them of this until the district took the reins themselves; they had just assumed that hospital stays were involved.
"And it was just a mistake - I'm not trying to throw anybody under the bus - but because we looked at it, we could fix it and change it so that the design as we negotiated [it] was in there, and we're getting the savings that we thought we would get," she says.
After going self-insured, the district used a data warehouse to analyze its claims and find ways to control costs. Estimated savings? At least $4 million. It also added a tobacco surcharge to insurance plans and helped write the Florida law banning smoking on school property. But the initiative Howard is most eager to talk about is one that has been widely embraced even as its financial efficacy has been increasingly questioned: wellness.
Not an easy sell
Many who have tried it will tell you that initiating a wellness program is not the easiest sell to an employee population. Just ask Howard: "People don't like being told what to do," she says, and she saw quite a bit of resistance. That's normal enough for a private company, but Howard's position comes with extra challenges.
"We're a public entity, so noise gathers," she says. "It doesn't just come to me and my staff. It goes to me, to my boss and maybe to our school board. You just want to be able to defend your position, get it well-communicated and get the unions on board to help you communicate. We told them, 'If it works and we keep our rates down, maybe we won't need rate increases every year.' And for 2014, we're not going to need a rate increase."
Marilyn Boursiquot, benefits manager for the district, agrees that wellness was not exactly a welcome change for employees, but she says the work is paying off.
"Our culture is slow, and some folks are still being dragged along kicking and screaming, but we can truly say that we're starting to see the light of creating a culture of wellness, which is really exciting," Boursiqout says.
Howard's "tenacity" and her "willingness to be on the edge" has helped steward the district through year after year of change, Boursiquot says. And she thinks that's what makes Howard worthy of her Benny Award.
"When we look at other school districts, and just other employers in general, they're willing to go to a point, but then when the rubber hits the road ... it's not always easy to introduce programs like this," Boursiquot says. "You take flak for it. And to actually keep moving forward in spite of all that - that's what I really admire about her."
Medical trends
The School District of Palm Beach County boasts an average five-year medical trend of 6% - 4% below the industry median of 10%. It also shed 1,000 dependents (estimated long-term savings: $4.4 million) after an audit found them ineligible - one of many reviews made possible through self-insurance.
Howard, however, believes the wellness program has been helping keep costs down for the district, which has 20,000 full-time employees. It was a slow road, she says, and the program "evolved" from weak to strong.
"We started out by saying, 'Here's a health assessment you could do.' In a district our size, we got 25 people to do it, and we gave gift cards at the time," she says. "And that really was poor. So about four or five years ago, we started talking with the unions, and we found a different way to negotiate with them and said, 'Let's bargain something two years out,' and that gave them time to think and to plan.
"We wanted to get to the point where employees have to get blood work, so they know their condition, and get a physical. ... More than half our employees never saw a doctor. So we said, 'OK, preventive stuff is what we should do,' so we had talks with our carrier about what's important, and we figured the health assessment was very important."
The district upped the reward for HRA completion substantially to a $50 premium reduction per month. "And that number," Howard says, "really was motivating to our employees." In its first year, the new program saw 85% compliance. And now, as she says, health insurance costs won't rise for workers next year. This, too, is a bigger deal for a public entity.
"We're government employees," Howard points out. "We haven't had raises in a few years."
Of course, even wellness programs' biggest proponents will admit they can only get you so far; the district has had to do its share of belt-tightening. Copays and premiums have risen in recent years, and there are newly designed pharmacy tiers, too.
Estimating in 2010 that diabetes accounted for 20% of its health claims, the district implemented a diabetes health plan. In its first year, the plan reduced total net costs by 9%, or around $2.9 million.
In another "self-funded only" gain, the district now gets 100% of its pharmacy rebates, which not only helps its coffers but also future plan design.
"Our rebates are approaching $5 million a year, and that's money that goes right back into the health plan," Howard says. "We had no idea it was so much money - only self-insured employers do."
Schools run mini-programs
But Howard again credits the district's wellness plans for starting long-term change. Schools, she says, can be excellent incubators for mini-programs that could work just as well at businesses with multiple locations. In addition to administrative offices, the Palm Beach County district runs some 180 locations, serving approximately 176,000 students.
"We had what we called 'wellness champions' at each school," Howard says. "What we said we would do is give them some resources so that they could run a program for their school - if they wanted to run a class on exercise or Weight Watchers or whatever. We have two big meetings a year with them, we give them a $500 stipend out of our health budget and for that they have to do a certain number of programs at their school. ... We went from 30 to 170 [wellness champions] in four years. And each of those people can [reach out] to the 200 to 400 people at their school and they know them."
Employees might be more amenable to such programs when they're initiated by a friendly co-worker and not some distant HR office. Making it personal and fun helps, too: In a different effort, called the Apple-a-Day Program, participants can submit photos of themselves eating apples while walking, reading medical care info or doing other healthy things. Howard says vendors donated prizes for the best photos, and local orchards even donated some apples. It's definitely a program she plans to repeat.
Kimberly Sandmaier, Palm Beach County wellness coordinator, admires Howard for her dedication and knows the district health plan is in good hands. "She's worked so hard with all our programs," Sandmaier says, and positive results are coming in on all fronts.
"I've always looked up to her and seen her as a leader. Whether it's meeting with a vendor or the unions, she gets a lot of respect from them. I think she does a great job, and she handles everything with grace."
As for what lies ahead, Sandmaier says, "We're trying to be proactive. We're trying to figure out the best thing out there to reduce our health care costs, especially in light of everything that's happening with health care reform and some of the additional charges that we may see in the future."
In the next phase of evolution, Howard plans to make her wellness programs results-based. Though she concedes it "may be not quite as successful," she remains optimistic.
"I think people are going to do it. I mean, you're taking the blood work anyways," she says. "Ideally people will say 'I've been doing the blood work for three years, I've had high blood pressure for three years - why don't I do something about it?' But that might not happen."
Whether self-insured or not, whether public or private, Howard recommends employers commit to wellness. "I really believe that you need a wellness component and work toward having your population having a little accountability in your health care," Howard says. "Don't give up when the noise gets a little loud. Use your data to show people, 'Look, this is what happening.' I just really believe in it; it's been good for us."
The numbers
Here are just a few of the results achieved by the School District of Palm Beach County under Dianne Howard's leadership:
2007: Switch to self-funded plan.
0: Cost increase in 2014 for self-funded medical plan.
6%: Average five-year medical trend.
100: Percentage of pharmacy rebates now received.
$4 million: Savings achieved from using a data warehouse to dig into claims to see where the school district was spending the most money and analyze what could be done to control those costs.
1,000: Number of dependents moved off the health plan thanks to a dependent eligibility audit.
$4.4 million: Estimated savings from dependent eligibility audit.
80%: Average participation rate in the wellness program.
$2.9 million: Estimated savings from the implementation of a diabetes health management program.
$600: Annual tobacco surcharge.
195: Number of wellness champions, up from 16 a few years ago.
A faster, cheaper way to wellness programs that work
Originally posted September 6, 2013 by Vlad Gyster on https://ebn.benefitnews.com
The debate over whether wellness programs "work" is becoming increasingly heated. Many question the validity of research demonstrating that wellness programs reduce health care costs. At the same time, others swear by their wellness provider. So, who's the liar?
As with most things, the truth is in the eye of the beholder. Wellness is a business, and it would serve us well - no pun intended - to consider this business formula as we attempt to determine where the truth lies and understand why this debate is so heated: Value = Benefits/Cost.
To begin with, we don't truly know the value of a wellness program. This formula helps quantify the importance of knowing value. When making a purchase, all of us have some understanding of a product's benefits, and in return we pay a cost. Together, those two factors create a value. If the benefits and costs are generally understood, then value is pretty predictable. But if there's a lack of agreement about the benefits, it's tough to come to consensus on value and cost. The result is very different calculations and a big debate about whether something is really worth it. This is what we're experiencing with wellness programs. The reality is that we don't really know all the benefits a wellness program provides, and, as a result, their value is up for debate.
This debate will eventually be resolved in one of two ways:
1. We come to a consensus that wellness programs deliver the stated benefits and continue to pay the current cost; or
2. We conclude the benefits are lower than initially thought, and adjust the cost accordingly.
I've got my money on option 2. Here's why:
Gartner - a research advisory firm that's been evaluating technology for more than 30 years - discovered a funny pattern: Every few years, a new technology emerges that gets a lot of people really excited. There's a lot of enthusiasm and promises, but, given limited use, no real data about the technology's actual benefits. This is the "peak of inflated expectations"; i.e., when we make statements like "This is going to change the world."
After a while, though, people realize that their perception of the technology's benefits are unrealistic; they feel they received bad value, get disgruntled and criticize the technology as worthless. This is the "trough of disillusionment." It occurs when the benefits are lower than originally assumed, and the cost is experienced as too high relative to the perceived lesser value.
It's reasonable to assume we are in the midst of a sober re-evaluation of the benefits of wellness programs, somewhere in the "trough of disillusionment." The good news is, as history has proven, that over time, the market comes to understand the technology's actual benefits, accepts them and broad adoption can occur. For this to happen, there needs to be a consensus about the benefits (aka ROI) and the price adjusted accordingly. This doesn't mean wellness programs are worthless, just that they may be worth less than the benefits declared during the "peak of inflated expectations."
Minimize cost
In a scenario where the value of something is unclear, it's wise to minimize - rather than wait for the market to drive down - cost, as cost is the variable you have control over. Traditional approaches to launching wellness initiatives come with huge overhead - strategy, vendor selection, implementation and vendor fees can easily run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars - and can take years before having any real impact on even a single employee. Cut as much of this overhead as possible. Vendor selections should come in the form of free trials with groups of employees. Vendor fees should be contract-free and have monthly options for easy exit. Strategy work should turn into small experiments with employees to identify what works and what doesn't.
In other words, spend less. But how do you drive a high level of engagement in wellness with limited resources? We suggest using the Lean Startup methodology used by startups to drive engagement in new products using limited resources. This approach advocates using small, inexpensive steps that lead to quick wins and continuous improvement. Its use could help HR quickly and cheaply differentiate what works from what doesn't, so HR can focus time and dollars on what's actually effective.
Four steps
Here's our version of the Lean Startup methodology adapted for HR:
Step 1: Think in terms of a "Minimum Viable Product". MVP is the smallest thing you can do to learn how to make progress toward your objective. For most employers, the objective of their wellness programs will be somehow tied to employee participation. Instead of spending limited resources on building business cases and other costly activities, pick something to do that is small and will help you learn what works to gain employee participation.
Step 2: Build something that's "good enough". Start with something easy, like an employee video testimonial about a benefit that's already available (but likely underappreciated), such as gym reimbursement. Upload the video to a video hosting tool for businesses so you can track how many people click the link and view your video. Send an email to employees inviting them to watch the video. Explain that this is a "beta" and you're testing concepts for a potential wellness initiative. Distribute it to a small group first to ensure everything is working.
Step 3: Measure. Measuring is essential. If you don't measure results you can't test your assumption about how a particular strategy will work or learn from it. Once the email is sent, you'll know how many people clicked the link and how many people viewed the video and for how long. These key performance indicators - KPIs - provide a baseline for identifying progress and future improvements.
Step 4: Learn. This is the most important step. By this point, you should have gained some idea of what's working well and what's not, and the data necessary to improve key metrics. These are the types of tangible outcomes necessary to propel any wellness initiative forward. What can you do to increase those numbers? The faster you can repeat this process and improve your KPIs, the more momentum you'll gain - and the sooner you can determine the potential effectiveness of wellness initiatives without a huge expenditure of scarce resources.
Debate will continue
Whether the results achieved with wellness programs are worth their cost is a debate that will likely continue. That said, there's little doubt that a key ingredient to achieving ROI on wellness programs - or any HR initiative - is employee participation. The HR-adapted Lean Startup approach lets you know whether you've got this key ingredient - before you've spent a lot of time and money hoping to get it.
American Red Cross Aids Oklahoma Tornado Victims
Original article from redcross.org
WASHINGTON, Tuesday, May 21, 2013 — The American Red Cross is working around the clock to help people in Oklahoma after Monday’s devastating tornadoes with shelters, food, water and supplies, and more workers, supplies and equipment are moving into the area today.
“Our thoughts and sympathy are with all those impacted by these horrific tornadoes,” said Trevor Riggen, vice president of Disaster Operations and Logistics for the Red Cross. “Specialized Red Cross disaster teams are helping now and will be helping for weeks to come as people in Oklahoma recover from these storms.”
The Red Cross deployed almost 30 emergency response vehicles to distribute food and relief supplies and more are on alert. Two Southern Baptist Convention kitchens and kitchen support trailers will join the relief effort with the ability to serve tens of thousands of meals a day.
Emergency aid stations will open where people can get food and snacks, mental health and health services and information about what help is available. The Red Cross is supporting first responders and working with local and state officials to make sure people get the help they need. Meanwhile, the Red Cross continues to provide shelter in Shawnee and other parts of the Oklahoma City area following storms over the weekend.
SAFE AND WELL The Red Cross has several ways people can let loved ones know they are safe. They can register on the Red Cross Safe and Well website by visiting www.redcross.org and clicking on the “List Yourself or Search Registrants” link under “How to Get Help”. Those who can’t access a computer can call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) and a Red Cross operator can help them register. Disaster victims can also update their Facebook and Twitter status through the Safe and Well website or visitwww.redcross.org/safeandwell on their smart phone and click on the “List Yourself as Safe and Well” or “Search for friends and family” link.
DOWNLOAD TORNADO APP. If someone has the Red Cross tornado app on their mobile device, they can use the “I’m Safe” button to let loved ones know they are okay. The app can be found in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store for Android by searching for American Red Cross. It includes a high-pitched siren and tornado warning alert that signals when a NOAA tornado warning has been issued, as well as also an all-clear alert that lets users know when a tornado warning has expired or has been cancelled. Content is preloaded so users have access to critical information even without mobile connectivity, including locations of open Red Cross shelters and the one-touch “I’m Safe” messaging to let loved ones know they are okay through social media outlets. More than a million alerts were sent from the Red Cross tornado app with 340 separate tornado warning/watch notices on Sunday and Monday as tornadoes hit in Oklahoma and other states.
HOW TO HELP Those who would like to help people affected by disasters like tornadoes, floods and other crises can make a donation to American Red Cross Disaster Relief. People can donate by visiting www.redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. These donations help provide food, shelter and emotional support to those affected by disasters.
BLOOD SUPPLIES The Red Cross stands ready to help meet the blood needs of patients in and around Oklahoma City if needed, and there is currently enough blood on the shelves to meet patient demands. The Red Cross is a secondary supplier of blood products to hospitals in the affected area in Oklahoma. People with type O negative blood are encouraged to give blood when they are able. All eligible blood donors can schedule an appointment to give in the days and weeks ahead by calling 1-800-RED CROSS or visiting www.redcrossblood.org to help ensure blood is available when people need it.
CORPORATIONS HELP The Red Cross is able to respond quickly when emergencies like this happen with the help of corporations who are members of the organization’s Annual Disaster Giving (ADGP) and Disaster Responder programs. Program members pledge donations on an ongoing basis to allow the Red Cross to pre-position supplies and be ready to take immediate action when disasters occur.
Current ADGP members are:
3M; Altria Group; Aon; AT&T; Bank of America; BNY Mellon; Briggs & Stratton Corporation; Caterpillar Inc.; CHS Foundation; Cisco Foundation; Citi Foundation; The Clorox Company; Community Safety Foundation funded by AAA Northern California, Nevada and Utah Insurance Exchange; ConAgra Foods Foundation; Costco Wholesale Corporation; Darden Restaurants, Inc.; Dell Inc.; Discover; Disney; Dr Pepper Snapple Group; Edison International; FedEx Corporation; GE Foundation; Hewlett-Packard Company Foundation; The Home Depot Foundation; Humble Bundle; jcpenney; John Deere Foundation; Johnson Controls; Kimberly-Clark Corporation; Kraft Foods Group; Lowe's Companies, Inc.; Medtronic; Meijer; Merck Co. Foundation; Mondelēz International; National Grid; Nationwide Insurance Foundation; Northrop Grumman; Optum; PepsiCo and the PepsiCo Foundation; Southwest Airlines; Sprint; State Farm; State Street; Target; Texas Instruments; The TJX Companies, Inc.; UnitedHealthcare; University of Phoenix; UPS; US Airways; Walmart; WellPoint Foundation; Wells Fargo.
Disaster Responder members include:
American Express; AstraZeneca; AXA Foundation; Delta Air Lines; Farmers Insurance; Ford Motor Company; General Motors Foundation; H&R Block; Ingersoll Rand; Morgan Stanley; New Balance Foundation; Northwestern Mutual and the Northwestern Mutual Foundation; PuroClean; Ryder Charitable Foundation; Starbucks Coffee Company and Starbucks Foundation; Sunoco; Tyson Foods, Inc.; U.S. Bank; Western Union Foundation.
[button color="#ffffff" background="#0c5737" size="medium" src="https://www.redcross.org/donate/index.jsp?donateStep=2&itemId=prod10002"]Donate Today[/button]
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.
Wellness programs dealt setback under proposed IRS rules
Original article https://www.benefitspro.com
By Allen Greenberg
The IRS, in what would be a blow to employers, is proposing companies shouldn’t be allowed to count the cost of wellness programs in their health care plans under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
Should it be affirmed, the rule would force employers to spend more to meet the law’s minimum value provisions.
Wellness programs are a key part of the PPACA.
The law was written with the idea that more employers would put wellness programs in place or expand existing such programs to help improve the health of Americans and help control health care spending.
Specifically, the hope is that more employers might reimburse workers for the cost of fitness center membership, reward employees for attending a monthly, no-cost health education seminar; or that they reward employees who complete health risk assessments.
The proposed rules from the IRS, however, wouldn’t allow employers to consider the costs of wellness programs in establishing whether they’ve reached the government’s definition of “minimum coverage” under the ACA.
Only wellness programs designed to prevent smoking will qualify, the IRS said.
Under PPACA, a large employer must pay an excise tax penalty if it fails to provide minimum coverage for even one full-time employee, forcing that employee to get a tax credit to buy health insurance through one of the new insurance exchanges, or marketplaces.
Labor unions that worried some employers might try to skirt minimum health care coverage by including wellness programs welcomed the news.
"We are very happy with the rules," Dania Palanker, senior counsel for the National Women's Law Center, told reporters.
But employer advocates were disappointed, calling it a setback.
The public has until July 2 to submit comments to the IRS for changes.
Click here to read the IRS’s proposed ruling.
The wellness path not taken
Original article: https://ebn.benefitnews.com
By Kathleen Koster
With full implementation of health care reform marching along, the landscape of employer-sponsored health benefits will never be the same. As employers turn to private and public exchanges beginning in 2014 as allowed under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the purpose for and implementation of worksite wellness programs also are likely to change.
Dr. Matthew Liss, East Coast medical director of NBCUniversal Health Services, fears that employers may not see wellness as their responsibility or employees will be less engaged in wellness initiatives because employers won't work as closely with vendors in the exchange.
Employers may not have access to health data as in the past, which could influence their investment in wellness programs, as well as impact incentives for healthy behavior. Liss points to premium reductions for nonsmokers or incentives for going to the gym that are currently offered by working hand in hand with health care providers. Employers may lose this ability to work with vendors while developing wellness incentives if employees receive coverage through a public or private exchange.
Certain populations could lose out
Bryce Williams, the president and CEO of Extend Health, Inc., which operates the nation's largest private exchange recently acquired by Towers Watson, believes that the most likely demographic to move employees into public exchanges would be small employers with 500 or fewer employees. Employers in this situation would be more likely to stop providing or lessen wellness services to workers than those entering private exchanges, he says.
In general, small employers don't have data to show them the best practices in wellness programs, explains Dave Ratcliffe, a principal at Buck Consulting. This could remain the case for small employers whose workers enter the public marketplaces. Ratcliffe adds that the more employers measure their initiatives, the more investment they make into wellness.
In the retail industry, where part-time workers outnumber full-time workers, some employers will reframe their total reward strategy for a post-2014 health care reform world. Some of Ratcliffe's clients in this sector are considering restructuring jobs and recalibrating total remuneration in order to attract, retain and motivate the workforce. For example, he says an employer may limit part-time workers to clock fewer than 30 hours each week, while rewarding top talent with over 30 hours of scheduled work so they can receive the best health benefits as defined under PPACA. While such a workforce restructuring may require more part-time employees who work under 30 hours per week, this framework could be a motivational carrot to drive talent.
Instead of developing wellness programs exclusively to drive down the health cost curve, employers will use wellness to improve population health and the overall productivity.
"Even if your employees are getting coverage through the exchange now, you want to make sure that they are healthy because a healthier employee is a more productive employee," says Julie Stich, research director at the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans.
Williams adds that large employers could leverage any savings they absorb through an exchange setup by reinvesting them into employees, especially into their wellness component.
Giving up a global edge?
According to a recent report from Buck Consultants, 87% of global employers recognize managing employee health as their responsibility in 2012, up from 75% in 2010. Further, 49% of multinational employers now have global health promotion strategies, up from 34% in 2004.
Based on these results, employers believe they need a healthy and productive workforce to have an edge in a global economy.
"If you look globally, the universal responses from all of the countries that productivity and reducing presenteeism was the No. 1 goal for their wellness program, [whereas] for U.S. companies, the No. 1 goal is reducing health care costs," Ratcliffe says. For most employers outside the U.S., employees receive coverage from a government-sponsored system, yet they continue to view wellness initiatives as paramount to driving a profit.
Further, the 2014 reinsurance tax (which could increase employers' health insurance costs by 1-2%), a looming 2018 excise tax, mandated benefits and auto-enrollment could all cause employers to consider shifting cost downward and investing more into wellness. In recent years, plan sponsors have managed a 5% trend rate by predominantly cutting benefits or cost-shifting. "From an attraction and retention standpoint, how much more can we afford to continue to cut benefits? So we're left with wellness to manage costs instead of shifting costs," says Ratcliffe.
In the new health care reform environment, Ratcliffe believes incentives and disincentives will play an even larger role in motivating employees to participate and succeed in wellness. PPACA permits an increase of allowable incentive dollars from 20% to 30%, and more employers are using outcomes-based incentives to drive results.
Overall, the U.S. spends roughly 18% of their total GDP on health care, while the rest of the world spends 9.5% on average. However the U.S.'s average rate of obesity is nearly double the rest of the world's (28% compared to 15%), according to 2012 OECD health data.
"Regardless of health care reform, we're not going to be able to compete in the future without making a change," says Ratcliffe.
Vendor relationships also will morph
The private exchange market, whether insured or self-funded, will function more like a group exchange, where the employer contracts with the exchange instead of sending people individually to a public exchange. For these private exchanges, "employers are not losing access to that data because they are still in a group world in 2014," Ratcliffe explains.
Public exchanges may tell a different story. Employers won't get data for people sent to public exchanges, but Ratcliffe doesn't expect many employers will go this route initially in 2014. Farther down the road when there's a viable individual market similar to Medicare, vendor relationships may change.
Employers' relationships with health vendors, in addition to how they measure and run wellness programs, are sure to change in coming years as employers consider private and public exchanges as options to provide insurance coverage to workers. It remains to be seen how exchanges will change wellness initiatives, but it's clear that wellness programs will always be a business imperative to keep workers healthy, productive and satisfied with their employer.
Moving beyond baby steps with wellness
Source: https://ebn.benefitnews.com
By Samuel H. Fleet
Employers want to do the right thing when it comes to health benefits for their employees, not only because it is humane, but also because it makes good business sense to take care of their most important assets. As health benefits have become increasingly costly, employers have struggled to find the key to meeting healthcare needs without breaking the bank. Many have pinned their hopes on wellness initiatives, the most popular offerings including newsletters and websites, weight-loss programs and smoking cessation programs.
Why baby steps are not enough
The earliest wellness initiatives were grounded in the concept that once employees are confronted with information about unhealthy behaviors they will make improvements that will lead to better health.
Information alone, however, is rarely enough to make a difference. Employers are beginning to face the hard truth that giving employees access to wellness support has done little to change the overall health of their workforces. To reach that goal, they have to move beyond providing information to a much more effective level of wellness support: Employee health risk management.
Tying consequences to health risk management
Employee Health Risk Management is an approach that allows employers to actively manage the health risks of their employees. Among the tools are health risk assessments and biometric health screenings to help identify risks that are driving healthcare expenses.
When made mandatory for employees, these tools can be coupled with consequences. Instead of appealing to reason (“if you exercise, you will be healthier”), these advanced wellness initiatives provide both carrots and sticks to link an employee’s actions and outcomes to consequences. For example, people who continue to smoke even after having access to cessation support pay higher premiums for their health care. Or people who join a gym and use it three times a week pay lower premiums. Or a person who agrees to regular cholesterol and blood pressure screening earns an annual bonus. Ultimately the goal is to implement value-based plan designs tailor-made for employee populations.
Finding the right partner
When plans are well-designed, the requirements are both attainable and accompanied by support to help employees succeed. For example, a well-designed plan does not ask an employee to reduce Body Mass Index from 40 to 25 in one year. A 10% or 15% reduction goal, supported by free access to plans like Weight Watchers, and supported with rewards and recognition may inspire the behavioral changes that will lead to a lower BMI with little further encouragement.
Wellness initiatives have always had the right idea: a healthy workforce costs less when it comes to health care benefits. But until recently, most have stopped short of the hard work it takes to get people to change their habits and lifestyles. In the era of health care reform, smart employers are stepping up their wellness efforts to make them more effective, and brokers are leading the way with cost-effective solutions. Now is the time to move beyond baby steps and actively manage the health and well-being of employees and their dependents.
11 Small Changes to Help Workers Manage Their Stress
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You can't eliminate the stress your employees bring to work, but you can identify and eliminate organizational stressors. And you can provide tools and information to help workers manage their stress on their own.
Stress management expert Susie Mantell (www.relaxintuit.com) is a firm believer in the power of incremental steps when trying to manage stress on the job and at home. Here are some ideas Mantell recommends that you can use for a safety meeting on stress management:
· Prioritize, streamline, delegate, and discard. When facing a task, ask if it's really necessary to do today, if there's an easier way to do it, or who might be able to help.
· Break it up. Take 2- to 3-minute breaks every hour throughout the workday. Mantell also urges employees to "commit to doing one fun thing every single day without exception." Laugh, play a game, or cook a meal, as long as it's enjoyable.
· Make time. Build time into your schedule for creative expression, healthy eating, moderate daily exercise, time with friends, and time in nature.
· Be on time. "Last minute equals high risk," says Mantell. Running late creates stress in us as well as in others. Build in cushion time between appointments to allow for traffic and the unexpected.
· Send negativity flying. If a co-worker is on the warpath, visualize an airplane with an advertising banner over that person's head. Imagine each negative word floating up into the banner, flying by and out of view. "Getting out of the line of fire can defuse a tense moment and preclude anxiety and stress," Mantell explains.
· Relax and watch what happens. Do mini-meditations or mindful breathing while you're shifting between tasks or in line at the cafeteria. Getting a message, rocking a baby, rebuilding an engine, or playing an active sport can also produce a meditative state of relaxation.
· Get essential nutrients. Go beyond vitamins and begin to think about daylight and laughter as essential daily nutrients. Get outside and take in some fresh air, even if it's just 10 minutes on a wintry day.
· Consider what you're consuming. Rethink the role played by sugar, caffeine, and alcohol in your life. These can increase stress levels.
· Watch your words. Negative internal chatter and self-recrimination are distracting and demoralizing. Never say anything to yourself that you wouldn't say to your best friend.
· Be kind. Do something kind for a different co-worker every day. Mantell points to the "cumulative, positive transformation that takes place when it becomes second nature to create joy and reduce stress for others."
· Sleep on it. Sleep deprivation is threatening to become an epidemic in the United States, and stress is a major culprit. Try to get restful, restorative sleep every day, and watch your stress level decline.
Fight Back Against Workplace Stress
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Stress is a big problem in the workplace, and the signs are everywhere.
Ever awaken at 3 a.m. in a sweaty panic over a work problem, a presentation you have to make, or looming deadline? Maybe you've lost your temper with the kids when the real problem was related to work.
The signs and symptoms of job stress are many and diverse—from a racing pulse to skipped meals, headaches, weight gain, depression, and lack of energy.
Whatever the cause, and however it manifests, workplace stress continues to be a problem—one that can cause reduced productivity, increase in accidents, and a spike in costs.
Stress Stats
The American Psychological Association (APA) observes that, "While stress levels appear to be balancing out, they remain high and exceed what Americans consider to be healthy."
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According to the APA and other sources:
· 69 percent of employees say work is a significant source of stress, and 41 percent say they typically feel tense or stressed out during the workday.
· 51 percent of employees report that they have considered or made a decision about their career (such as leaving a job or declining a promotion) based on workplace stress.
· While more than half of adults say they are doing a good or excellent job of knowing when they feel stressed, half of them aren't doing as well at preventing stress.
· Although 94 percent of adults believe stress can contribute to the development of major illness, a sizeable majority still thinks that stress has a slight or no impact on their own health.
· More employees are reporting that their employers provide sufficient opportunities for them to be involved in decision making, problem solving, and goal setting—one hopeful sign, since these are all steps believed to reduce employee stress.
Signs of Stress
As if life outside of the workplace isn't stressful enough for most people, when they come to work, they often encounter more stress—lack of control over work, heavy workloads, productivity demands, tight schedules, conflicts with co-workers, and worries about job stability.
When workers are stressed for any combination of reasons, the effects can be insidious. Dr. Albert Ray, physician director of Patient Education and Health Promotion for Kaiser Permanente in southern California, points to common signs and symptoms of stress:
· Acting angry and having a short temper
· Dealing with others in a curt, inhospitable manner
· Being present, but not fully productive
· Transformation from a friendly team player to an introvert
· Mocking the organization's strategies and visions
· Physical symptoms, ranging from itchy skin to chest pain, fatigue, abdominal cramping, and ringing of the ears, among many others
· Emotional problems like depression, anxiety, compulsive behavior, and substance abuse
And, of course, another symptom is carelessness. Workers may be too tense or worn out to pay attention and take proper precautions. That's when stress can lead to accidents and injuries.