Behavioral health costs account for 6% of health plan spending
Source: eba.benefitnews.com
By Lisa Gillespie
Behavioral health, including depression and stress, is an increasing area of concern to employers, according to the Disability Management Employer Coalition 2012 Behavioral Risk Survey of small, mid-sized and large companies. The concerns and costs — including direct medical expenses, lost productivity, workers' compensation and disability payments — are made more challenging due to the uncertain future of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
The survey found that direct costs of mental health care represent around 6% of overall health care costs and nearly 30% of young adults (those aged 18 to 25) were estimated to have had a diagnosable disorder, which is more than any other age group. The estimates for adults between the ages of 26 and 49, and those 50 and over were 22.1% and 14.3%, respectively.
Overall, 11.4 million U.S. adults — about 5% of the adult population — have a disorder that greatly impairs their ability to function in daily life. According to the DMEC survey, 47.7% of respondents believe behavioral risk is an important emerging area of concern. Forty percent include a behavioral component in their integrated or coordinated disability/absence management program.
The survey indicates adoption of behavioral health programs could be impacted by the uncertainty surrounding health care reform. Under PPACA, individual and small group insurance plans will most likely be required to offer parity in behavioral health benefits.
With 78.3% of respondents noting that their behavioral health component is a "carve-in" and is attached to their health plan, they may be reluctant to add/develop programs such as behavioral health if they have to "carve it back out" due to the potential for increasing health insurance costs and the uncertainty associated with the legality of PPACA.
Behavioral health conditions are among the most widespread, damaging and yet preventable illnesses from which people suffer,” says Marcia Carruthers, CEO of DMEC. "It is heartening that awareness of behavioral health and its costs to employees, employers and the entire health care system continues to grow. Employers need legal and regulatory certainty to enable them to effectively manage and reduce these costs."
Women more at risk when it comes to disability
Source: eba.benefitnews.com
By Marli D. Riggs
June 12, 2012
Women – whether they’re a working or stay-at-home mom, single or married – are most at risk both financially and physically when it comes to disability, according to a new study conducted by The State Farm Center for Women and Financial Services at The American College.
Half of women respondents say that if they were to become disabled, the impact on their household’s finances would be at least “somewhat devastating.” In fact, 18% of women (compared to only 12% of men) are “extremely concerned” about the impact a disability could have on their financial situation.
Women are almost twice as likely as men to think their cash reserves would last less than one month in the event of a disability (22% versus 12%.) Furthermore, women are not only more apt to experience financial hardship due to a disability; they are also significantly more likely than their male counterparts to develop a disability in the first place.
Arthritis, the leading cause of disability among adult Americans, is twice as more likely to affect women than men. The incidence of disability for females has risen at a disproportionate rate relative to males. Between 1999 and 2009, Social Security Disability Insurance applications for women grew by 72% versus 42% for men.
Single women are especially financially vulnerable —more than one in four (28%) see the consequences of disability as “totally devastating.” Married women are also at risk; they are more likely (20%) than married men (11%) to say they are concerned that their spouse will become disabled and unable to work.
Employer-sponsored plans are the most common means of disability insurance, however less than half have this benefit with women less likely than men (45% vs. 51%) to be covered. Female entrepreneurs are at even greater risk.
Another survey’s data, released by The American College in January 2012, reveals a gap in coverage for many women who own or work for a small business. It found that roughly 22% of women small business owners own, and offer their employees, short and long-term disability coverage.
“The implications of this research are startling. Financial services professionals need to start educating their clients – especially their female clients – about the steps they can take to prepare for disability,” says Mary Quist-Newins, director of The State Farm Center for Women and Financial Services at The American College. “These professionals have the unique opportunity to empower women to make sure they’re fully prepared and aware of their options.”
Happy Hour at Work?
June 4, 2012
By Denis Storey
Source: benefitspro.com
The headline that jumped off my iPad this morning was all I needed to see: “Is beer in the workplace an employee benefit?”
I jumped to my feet with my hands in the air like I was back in church.
Then I slumped back down. In this compliance-heavy era, where lawsuits are more common than doctors’ notes, how was this even possible?
But the blogger – Carol Harnett over at Human Resource Executive – went on to elaborate this stemmed from a panel discussion she’d hosted on wellness with Mark Torres, senior vice president of people and culture at The Rubicon Project. Shortly after joining the company, he polled his work force about their benefits, “which resulted in a strong staff request to retain the 24/7 beer refrigerator on the premises under the category of ‘the one thing we shouldn’t change.’”
Harnett touches on some other companies whose wellness programs venture into the progressive, to say the least.
(I’m kinda partial to Hulu’s, where their wellness plan amounts to an annual $700 check for each employee to spend any way they like to improve their own performance. But then I end up right back at the beer.)
My wife just got a new job. They apparently have these “Wellness Rooms,” where employees can go take a nap – presumably alone. Oh, and they have a “snow fairy,” an anonymous Samaritan who makes sure all the cars are cleared at the end of any our snowy Colorado workdays. And keep in mind: this isn’t some tech startup. She works for an 80-plus-year-old trade association.
My first thought – after asking about job openings – was how do you tell the difference between a perk and a benefit these days? Or is there one anymore? And where do wellness programs fit in to all of this?
Then it occurred to me we’re watching the slow, sometimes clumsy evolution of employee wellness. Many companies are getting it: that it goes far beyond gyms or smoking cessation programs. It’s about more than reducing claims or cutting costs. Simply put, it’s about getting (and keeping) happy, healthy employees. So how do you get there – booze, dark rooms or by just cutting a check?
And I think that the employers who take more of a holistic – if sometimes out-of-the-box – approach to wellness (and benefits in general) are the ones who are not only going to hang on to the best talent as we fight out way out of this economic malaise, but they’ll be far better positioned to attract the next generation of employees who live their entire lives out of the box.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m sleepy and I need a drink.
Young Americans get Health Insurance, Still have debt
Source: eba.benefitnews.com
By Anna Yukhananov
June 11, 2012
Fri., June, 8, 20120 12:01am EDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) — Health care reform likely enabled about 6.6 million young adults to join their parents' health insurance plans last year, a report found on Friday, though problems with medical bills and debt remained an issue.
President Barack Obama's 2010 health care reform law allowed young adults — who previously had the nation's highest uninsured rate — to stay on their parents' private insurance plans through age 26.
This provision is perhaps the single most popular element of the Affordable Care Act, the nation's most sweeping healthcare legislation in nearly 50 years and Obama's signature domestic policy achievement.
Polls show Americans are sharply divided about the law ahead of a Supreme Court ruling on its constitutionality by the end of June.
The Commonwealth Fund, a nonprofit organization that analyzes healthcare issues, polled 1,863 adults between the ages of 19 to 25 and found 47% of them joined or remained on their parents' plans between November 2010 and November 2011.
This would translate into about 13.7 million young adults in the broader population.
Of those, 6.6 million would likely not have been able to be on their parents' plans before the law's passage, as they were not enrolled in college full time or had already graduated. Most insurance plans already allow full-time college students to stay on their parents' plans.
The results compared to a U.S. government survey that last year found about 21.6 million young adults had private health insurance — either through their parents, their jobs or other means — which was 2.5 million higher than before the law was passed.
But the Commonwealth Fund also found 36% of young adults between the ages of 19 and 29 — a slightly bigger group — had trouble paying medical bills or said they were paying off medical debt. And among those without insurance, this group rose to 51%.
Sara Collins, one of the study's authors and vice president at the Commonwealth Fund, said some young people need maternity coverage, which is often expensive but may not be provided by insurance plans.
Young adults also have the highest rate of injury-related visits to the emergency room - even above children and the elderly — and may have other health conditions such as HIV or the human papillomavirus.
The survey, conducted online, has an average sampling error margin of 3 percentage points.
A Good Place to Promote Workplace Wellness
Source: Safety Daily Advisor
If you've been thinking about holding a health fair to promote workplace wellness, here's some information that can help you get started.
Businesses across the country and across industries are embracing the idea that a healthier workforce is more productive and more profitable. They are also taking diverse pathways to encourage their workers to become more aware and more active in their own health.
On-site health fairs can be an excellent way to raise awareness about job-based risks and individual health status. Increasingly, fairs are seen as part of a larger effort to get employees to take responsibility for their own health.
Start with a Theme
Consider building your event around a theme, suggests Dr. Carol Rice, author ofWellness and Health Fair Planning (Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Texas A&M University). "Review your organization's goals, corporate philosophy, and culture to determine an appropriate theme for your health fair. Is your organization competitive, conservative, formal, or fun? What are your organizational demographics?" The answers can help lead to a theme and tone for the event.
Another consideration is time of year and other concurrent events. You may choose to piggyback on a holiday, season, or national observance like American Heart Month in February or Employee Health and Fitness Month in May.
Choice of Content
Options for booths, demonstrations, and information sharing are vast. Possibilities include:
· Self-care
· Back care
· Office safety
· Family fitness
· Using social media to improve health
· Ergonomics
· Alternative treatments (chiropractic, massage, acupuncture)
· Healthy eating and healthy weight loss
· Healthy aging
· Cancer prevention
· Women's/men's health issues
· Substance abuse
· First aid and emergency preparedness
· Stress reduction
· Screenings for blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol, etc.
You can also use a health fair to showcase in-house resources and opportunities as well as those provided by outside vendors. Examples of in-house programs include your EAP, safety and health department and committee, workplace wellness program, health insurance plans and related offerings, and recreational activities sponsored by your company.
Other Considerations
"Raffles, prizes, and giveaways can be fun at a health fair," says Rice. "They help build anticipation, participation, and excitement."
Another traditional incentive is a "wellness passport," which gets stamped at each booth or display an employee visits. Participants who collect a certain number of stamps receive a prize.
Other options include tokens, cash incentives, and time off for employees participating in a screening. Some employers whose health fairs are part of a workplace wellness program offer discounts on insurance premiums for completing a health risk assessment. Based on the results of the assessment, employees may be recommended for additional testing, disease management programs, and/or health coaching.
Hotter Economy can Spark Retention Challenges
Although a recent report on U.S. job growth has left many observers disappointed, other economic signs are prompting employers to re-evaluate their benefits and retention strategies to avoid a potential talent exodus.
The Department of Labor reported that the nation added 120,000 jobs in March, down from the previous three months that saw 200,000 or more new jobs. Still, the stock market is up for the year, and U.S. employees appear to be more secure in their jobs. The Randstad employee confidence index -- which measures how confident workers feel about their job security and the economy -- rose in March to the highest level since October 2007, according to Workforce magazine.
An improving economy, however, has a dark side: Talented but unhappy employees will seek better opportunities elsewhere, experts say.
"There is a storm brewing," said Lynne Sarikas, executive director of the MBA Career Center at Northeastern University, in a recent Human Resource Executive online report. "Many people will be looking to make a change once they perceive improvement and stability in the job market. This will have a significant impact on their employers."
More movement in the job market can spur hotter competition among employers for good talent. In addition to competitive wages, robust employee benefits can help employers keep their best workers happy and productive -- and employers are taking notice. A recent study by MetLife found that 90 percent of companies say they don't plan to cut employee benefits in the near future, according to a report by CCH. A large majority (91 percent) of those polled expressed confidence that benefits work as retention tools.
While health, dental, vision and other stalwarts in the retention toolbox remain central to many companies' overall offerings, employers may want to consider additional choices to sweeten the benefits pot.
For instance, companies that want to pull in younger workers may want to investigate defined benefit (DB) retirement plans, according to new research. A recent study by Towers Watson, reported in PLANSPONSOR, noted that 63 percent of workers younger than 40 said in 2011 that they chose their current employer because it offered a DB plan, compared with only 28 percent in 2009.
Education benefits are paying off for some companies, as well. United Parcel Service is sponsoring a program that pays up to $3,000 per year in tuition reimbursement for part-time employees. Executives say the program has spawned talented leaders who have stuck with the company.
"Enhancing the skills and knowledge base for our employees is a fundamental element of our success, and correlates directly with our policy to promote from within," Susan Rosenberg, UPS public relations manager, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Working after age 62?
BY RICH WHITE
May 3, 2012
Source: Benefitspro.com
Social Security retirement benefits may begin at age 62 (at the earliest) and some pre-retirees believe they will face a dilemma over whether to keep working or start their benefits at 62. If your clients are concerned over this choice, tell them to relax.
Any benefits Social Security withholds (because of work income) from ages 62 through 66 will be credited back at the full retirement age of 66. The “earnings limit” for 2011, for people age 62-65, is $14,160. For every dollar earned through work above this limit, Social Security withholds 50 cents. This continues until Jan. 1 of the year in which reach full retirement age (currently 66) is attained, when the limit increases to $37,680 and withholding reduces to 33.3 cents per dollar over the limit. After the 66th birthday, there is no earnings limit.
Most people who think they will earn over the limit should simply delay the start of benefits until their 66th birthdays. In addition to permanently increasing monthly benefits (compared to starting at 62), this also preserves the ability to earn Delayed Retirement Credits for deferring the start date past the 66th birthday.
Time for employers to get proactive on workplace wellbeing
Oliver Gray, 22 May 2012
Source: HRmagazine.co.uk
Employee wellbeing might be firmly on the agenda for some organizations but are employers any nearer to really reaping all of the benefits associated with it?
Too many organizations take a reactive approach to wellbeing which leaves them missing out.
Too often organizations take a reactive approach to employee well-being. Don't get me wrong, this doesn't mean employers have failed to think about well-being or aren't putting solutions in place, because many are. In fact, many medium to large organizations invest thousands of pounds every month paying for private medical insurance and annual health checks. But this is all reactive.
Private medical insurance can add huge value to businesses and individuals in terms of speeding up rehabilitation and getting employees back to work quickly. But it does not really help employees who are not sick or injured. Successful organizations know that there are huge benefits to be had from combining reactive health interventions, like private medical insurance, with proactive sessions to help employees really understand what simple changes they need to make to improve their health.
The forward thinking companies know that by taking a more proactive approach, focusing on both physical and mental well-being, and promoting healthy ways of living they have a real opportunity to make a positive change to the health, energy and performance of their staff. It is this that will reduce the cost of reactive health interventions, increase positivity throughout the organization and have a positive impact on the financial health of the organization.
In order to deliver real change we need to move away from thinking about well-being as a standalone activity, it is something that needs to be threaded through all talent management activities and that really becomes part of the culture. It is not enough to simply hold one event or workshop just to tick a box - putting in place healthy habits take time and therefore well-being activities need to be delivered regularly.
Only by helping employees understand what simple changes they need to make to change their habits will organizations reap all of the benefits of healthy, energized, high performing staff. By organizing health and wellbeing sessions that are relevant, dynamic, engaging and informative employees will be motivated to take action and it is this that will enable them to perform at their best.
Take stress as an example. Rather than focusing on stress, which is a word that creates so much negativity, instead organizations need to invest time coaching staff so that they become more resilient and are able to handle pressure. By training employees to be more resilient, giving them the tools to manage pressure effectively, employees are more likely to be able to handle the challenges that come their way. This means they are less likely to go off sick due to stress and are able to get on with their day job.
Organizations that are taking a proactive approach and making employee well-being part of their culture with directors, managers and employees buying into the concept are reaping the benefits. They are not only seeing a reduction in sickness absence and staff turnover but also an increase in performance, higher staff engagement and reduced healthcare costs.
Are You and Your Workers Ready for the Summer Heat?
Wednesday, May 23, 2012 3:00 AM
by Chris Kilbourne
Source: https://safetydailyadvisor.blr.com
Every year, thousands of workers become sick from exposure to heat, and some even die. But your people don't have to suffer. These illnesses and deaths are preventable.
With summer just around the corner and heat and humidity on the rise, many employers need to start thinking about and planning to prevent employee heat-related illness.
Although OSHA doesn't have a specific standard that covers working in hot conditions, under the General Duty Clause of the OSH Act, you nevertheless have a duty to protect workers from recognized serious hazards in the workplace, including heat-related hazards.
This means right off the bat you need answers to three very important questions.
What Is Heat Illness?
The body normally cools itself by sweating. During hot weather, especially with high humidity, sweating isn't enough. Body temperature can rise to dangerous levels if precautions are not taken. Heat illnesses range from heat rash and heat cramps to heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Heat stroke can result in death and requires immediate medical attention.
Who Is Affected?
Workers exposed to hot and humid conditions are at risk of heat illness, especially those doing heavy work tasks or using bulky protective clothing and equipment. Some workers might be at greater risk than others if they have not built up a tolerance to hot conditions.
How Can Heat Illness Be Prevented?
Remember these three words:
- Water
- Rest
- Shade
Drinking water often, taking breaks, and limiting time in the heat can help prevent heat illness. Include these prevention steps in worksite training and plans.
Additional steps can also help prevent heat-related illness on the job whether employees are working outside or inside in a hot environment:
- Gradually increase workloads and allow more frequent breaks during the first week or so of hot weather for all heat-exposed workers.
- Pay special attention to workers who are new on the job or have been away from work for a week or more when the weather is hot. Make sure supervisors acclimate (or reacclimate) them properly to working in the heat.
- Also make sure employees and supervisors know the symptoms of heat illness and look out for these signs in themselves and others during hot weather.
- Plan for heat-related emergencies, and make sure everyone knows what to do. Acting quickly in heat illness emergencies can save lives.
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Using the Heat Index
Workers become overheated from two primary sources:
- Environmental conditions in which they work (whether hot weather outside or hot conditions inside)
- Internal heat generated by physical labor
To make sure workers keep safe as the heat rises, review this table, which matches temperatures, risk levels, and protective measures for high temperatures:
|
Heat Index |
Risk Level |
Protective Measures |
| Less than 91ºF | Lower caution | Basic heat safety and planning |
| 91ºF to 103ºF | Moderate | Implement precautions and heighten awareness |
| 103ºF to 115ºF | High | Additional precautions to protect workers |
| Greater than 115ºF | Very high to extreme | Triggers even more aggressive protective measures |
For lower caution risk level, encourage workers to:
- Drink plenty of water (make sure it is available).
- Wear a hat and sunscreen.
- Take rest breaks in an air conditioned or cool, shaded area.
- Acclimate if new or returning to work and performing strenuous work.
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For moderate risk level, encourage workers to take all of the precautions above, plus:
- Watch for signs of heat stress (be sure to review signs in a safety meeting and instruct supervisors to watch for symptoms).
- Drink at least 4 cups of water every hour (make sure it is available).
- Report heat-related symptoms immediately and seek appropriate first aid (explain who to call and review first aid for heat illness in safety meeting).
- Call 911 if a worker loses consciousness or appears confused or uncoordinated.
For the high risk level, you should take these additional precautions to protect workers:
- Increase rest periods.
- Designate a knowledgeable person (well informed on heat-related illness) at the worksite to determine appropriate work/rest schedules.
- Reduce the workload, and pace strenuous work tasks.
- Make sure cool, fresh water is available, and remind workers to drink plenty of water every 15 to 20 minutes.
For very high and extreme risk levels:
- Reschedule all non-essential outdoor work to days when the heat index is lower.
- Move essential outdoor work to the coolest part of the work shift.
- As much as possible allow for earlier start times, split shifts, or evening and night shifts.
- Prioritize and plan essential work tasks carefully. Strenuous work tasks and those requiring the use of heavy or non-breathable clothing or impermeable chemical protective clothing should not be conducted when the heat index is at or above 115°F.
- Stop work if essential control methods are inadequate or unavailable when the risk of heat illness is very high.
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