Dear Health Care Executives:

Summer is just around the corner, and hopefully you are training for that race you signed up for when it was still cold or you are on that diet you committed yourself too. Maybe you are slowly reaching your goal, but it just isn’t fast enough... well stay motivated. We all get into a rut, but know you will make it. The sunny days ahead will inspire you to be ready and you will be able to enjoy the sun to the fullest extent and be ready for that race, or reach that goal. Find inspirational stories here, in the ASHHRA Benefits and Wellness Bulletin (BWB), to keep you on your journey.

This edition of the BWB will provide new ways to inspire and invigorate wellness programs and spark some ideas around your organization’s benefit offerings. Be a source of wellbeing for your organization—be a benefits and wellness leader.

ASHHRA appreciates your dedication to health care, and we will continue to improve in assisting you in the way you do your work. Please feel free to email me at sdrake@aha.org for any reason—we are here to serve you, our valued members. Just a reminder, you can read this edition of the BWB on your smart phone—to learn more, click here.

Sincerely,

Stephanie H. Drake

ASHHRA Executive Director

A little more than a year ago, a network of pharmacists banded together to work to reform the industry of pharmacy benefits management, which has become rife with abuse and a lack of transparency over the past decade. Pharmacy benefits managers are third-party administrators of prescription drug programs that contract with employers, insurers and pharmacies to manage prescription drug coverage for pharmacy patients.

The number of Americans who applied for unemployment benefits fell by 4,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 323,000, a five-year low. Layoffs have returned to pre-recession levels, a trend that could lead to more hiring.

Health care spending increased 3.8 percent in March, according to a report from Altarum Institute’s Center for Sustainable Health Spending. This figure is one-tenth below February’s number and under the Altarum Institute’s estimate of 4.3 percent. The report also finds that health care employment only added an average of 19,000 jobs per month this year, under 2012’s addition of 27,000 monthly jobs.

The IRS recently issued Revenue Procedure 2013-25, which provides the 2014 cost-of-living contribution and coverage adjustments for HSAs. The new limits for calendar year 2014 are as follows.

Fidelity reports a 53 percent increase in health savings accounts opened in 2012, raising the number of individual accounts administered by the company to 182,000.

Based on demographics, employee assistance programs can vary by use, according to a new ComPsych Corp. survey that looks at gender, age, and industry differences across millions of EAP and work-life calls for a year.

New research from the Council for Disability Awareness indicates sizable gaps in the assessments of risk and protection between human resources professionals and the average employee. While both groups understand the randomness with which disability can occur and appreciate the importance of continued income, HR leaders don’t believe workers are taking adequate steps to protect themselves.

Financial stress is a major issue to younger Americans, with 49 percent of Generation X and 51 percent of Generation Y Americans dissatisfied with their situations, according to the new study. The Keep Good Going Report by Mathew Greenwald & Associates, sponsored by New York Life Insurance Co., is the latest to affirm what many already knew: the sluggish economy has taken its toll on people.

An overwhelming majority (90 percent) of our nation's middle-income Americans say they are not financially prepared for a critical illness diagnosis, according to a new study released by Washington National Institute for Wellness Solutions (IWS). The study, Middle-Income America's Perspectives on Critical Illness and Financial Security, which surveyed 1,001 Americans ages 30 to 66 with an annual household income of between $35,000 and $99,999, found that only 1-in-10 feels strongly confident they have enough savings to cover family emergencies and handle the financial implications of a critical illness.

In health care, burnout doesn't afflict physicians alone. Other health care workers also are feeling a strain of heavy, unsatisfying workloads—so much so that more than a third of them plan to look for a new job this year, according to a new survey from CareerBuilder.com.

A majority of workers (75 percent) said they think their employer would educate them about changes to their health care coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), according to a recent report.

May is Employee Health and Fitness Month, an excellent time to discover the benefits of a healthy workforce. Employee health is a powerful strategic component of an organization’s human capital management. Since the founding of Employee Health and Fitness Month (EHFM), in May of l989, there have been significant strides in documenting the evidence of the value of investing in employee health. The observance is sponsored by the National Association for Health & Fitness (NAHF) and ACTIVE Life, a nonprofit health promotion organization.

Recognizing nap rooms are not enough, employers are getting more to the heart of the sleep-deprivation problem to ensure workers catch a few more zzzz's.

Employers are increasingly turning to some type of incentive program to encourage healthy behavior by their employees—and penalizing them for nonparticipation, according to a study by Midwest Business Group on Health.

There’s no shortage of weight loss methods available to those looking to shed some extra pounds. Despite all the fad diets and extreme measures, many rely on the basics of counting calories, getting active and keeping a food journal. Fortunately, smartphones are able to take care of each of these tasks and today’s dieter has a wealth of options to choose from when it comes to weight loss or weight management apps.

One of the nation’s leading business organizations is pressing President Obama to ensure incentives for job-sponsored wellness programs remain part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Rising health care costs are affecting many employers nationwide, and many companies are turning to employee health and wellness programs to reduce their annual expenses. In fact, a February 2010 Health Affairs study revealed that these plans can provide significant value to businesses.

In addition to popular incentives for participating in wellness program activities, employers and insurance carriers have turned to outcomes-based incentives hoping to lower plan costs and improve population health. While laws such as HIPAA, ERISA, and most recently, PPACA provide guidance for incentivizing employees to improve body metrics and sustain healthy behaviors, plan sponsors should tread cautiously around more aggressive incentives and premium surcharge strategies.

Carrie Clyne’s last job was in an office that feasted on a steady supply of junk food. Donuts in the mornings and cupcakes for staffers’ birthdays were the familiar routine. But in January, when she took a position with nonprofit organization Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, she was pleasantly surprised by her new employer’s decidedly different attitude toward food.

Only about 20 percent of adults in the United States are meeting the federal government’s recommendations for physical activity. The federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently reported that, nationwide, only about half of adults are getting the aerobic activity they should, and about 30 percent are getting enough strengthening activity.

Even before the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act (ACA) last summer, many employers were increasingly developing wellness programs for their workplaces. As the ACA begins rolling out at a quicker pace, those employers are well positioned to benefit from financial advantages the law makes available to employers with wellness programs. We’ll explain why you should consider implementing a wellness program.

She has treated more than 5,000 people over the last decade who have struggled with obesity, but wrestling since childhood with personal weight issues, Dr. Ali Zentner became her own first patient.

Losing weight is never easy. Every pound you shed is the direct result of your dedication to healthy eating and regular exercise. To commemorate the 100th episode of The Dr. Oz Show, Dr. Oz welcomed 100 individuals who had lost over 100 lbs each—and each member of the "Oz 100" shared their number-one tip for weight loss.

By now you’ve probably heard about CVS pharmacy asking its employees to have their doctor complete a voluntary health screening (Health Risk Assessment) by May 2014 or they’ll be required to pay an additional $50 a month for their group health insurance.

A new national survey of employer views on the use of employee health incentives (rewards) and disincentives (penalties) found that of those companies responding, 82 percent offer some form of incentives and/or disincentives. There is also a growing interest in outcomes-based incentive strategies (i.e., reaching targeted biometric goals). The study was conducted by the Midwest Business Group on Health (MBGH) in April.

Many employers turn to wellness programs to manage health care costs and improve employee productivity. However, recent research shows that educating employees about the programs is critical to their success.

Employers in the UK are increasingly trying to alleviate employee stress by better engaging employees through their health and wellbeing programs. A key focus for these companies over the next two years is stress management, according to Towers Watson.

Health and wellness are hot topics right now for both businesses and individuals. We all appreciate the importance of the subject, and the responsibility for health and wellness doesn’t solely belong to companies. While businesses are taking ownership of their obligations under the Affordable Care Act, individuals must take responsibility for their own actions as well.

A study by OptumHealth in Minnesota last year concluded that a long-term employee wellness program can offer an ROI of nearly $3 for every $1 spent. The key words here are long-term. "The study provides support for continued investment, but reminds employers that health management is a multi-year investment strategy," stated the study lead author Seth Serxner in the report. Employers should expect a good three years before real savings appear.

Addressing hearing loss in the workplace is a smart business strategy that benefits both employer and employee, the Better Hearing Institute (BHI) is advising during the 5th Annual National Employee Wellness Month, which takes place in June. BHI is urging employers to include hearing health as part of their workplace wellness programs. To help facilitate timely hearing self-screenings for all American workers, BHI is offering an online hearing check at www.hearingcheck.org, where anyone can quickly assess if they need a more comprehensive hearing test by a hearing health care professional.