Dear ASHHRA Member:

Sincerely,

Senior Executive Director, Professional Services

American Hospital Association

Executive Director, ASHHRA of the AHA

A survey from Fidelity Investments shows more nurses are saving for retirement, but many are still not sure if they will have enough money to retire.

A new study conducted by human capital risk management firm HCMS Group suggests that employers who offer vision benefits to their employees might be able to save as much as $5.8 billion in cost savings over a four-year period, partly due to the preventative screening opportunities afforded by low-cost eye check-ups.

In June of 2013, the Supreme Court ruled in its landmark Windsor decision that section three of the Defense of Marriage Act was unconstitutional, clearing the way for same-sex spouses to be respected as married couples for income tax purposes.

Plan sponsors have had enough of lagging 401(k) account balances, so many are taking aggressive steps to help workers become better savers for retirement.

Beginning in 2015, health plans and issuers are required to apply all out-of-pocket maximums across all essential benefits, the federal government said in a new set of frequently-asked-questions and answers on implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

What’s going to take off this year? Fidelity's 401(k) team put together a list of trends it believes will gain a lot of traction in the coming months, including higher adoption of Roth 401(k) and managed account options.

You’re trained to be an HR professional, but every year – usually around open enrollment – you’re asked to put on your communicator hat. The onus is then on you to communicate your company’s benefits package to the workforce, and we recognize that some of you may like a little help doing so. 

When it comes to their health benefits, most employees say they’re happy with their current offerings and lack interest in altering their balance of benefits and wages, according to a new survey by the Employee Benefit Research Institute.

Public sector health insurance costs grew at twice the rate of the private sector this year, with taxpayers covering a large chunk and set to cover more if those high costs remain in the coming era of the Cadillac tax, according to a new survey.

Despite the best intentions of retirement plan sponsors, 24 percent of Americans report they have borrowed against or took early distribution from their retirement plans in the past three years, according to recent data from Purchasing Power.

The promise of the Affordable Care Act is right there in its title: Affordable. Yet, anti-poverty agencies across the country fear that even with the federal financial assistance available under the law, health insurance will remain unaffordable for significant numbers of low-income Americans.

No doubt, 2014 is a pivotal year in the health care industry. With the individual mandate, market reforms, and new insurance taxes – and quite a lot of other provisions – now in effect, it’s the most important year yet for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Thanks to new DOL regs and enforcement efforts, HR pros are being asked to pay more attention to their companies’ 401ks – and all of the plans’ features and investments – than ever before. 

"It's all over now, baby blue." Bob Dylan may have been referring to the end of a love affair in that refrain, but it rings true for most of us after all the hoopla of the holidays. There is so much buzz, so much activity, during Christmas and New Year's celebrations, that just the lack of action after January 1 is enough to cause some people anxiety, feelings of disappointment, and depression.

This year’s flu season is now in full swing so we have some of the answers to such questions. We know that the number of flu cases started to spike first in the southeastern United States. Visits for flu-like illness started to rise in December and have continued to rise and spread. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 20 states have high levels of flu activity and all regions of the country are now seeing flu cases. The website, Google flu trends, which tends to be more up to date, reports that 33 states are seeing high levels of flu. 

We’ve all heard the legend that depression and suicides spike in December due to holiday stress, but that’s just what it is: legend. Research shows that depression and anxiety actually do not peak during the holidays; in fact, some studies show these rates actually decrease in December. Client calls related to anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and stress spike after the holidays each year, according to health care consumer services company Accolade.

Maximizing the positive impact of a wellness program is a goal of many employers. Much of the discussion around wellness focuses on how to increase employee participation. Doing so remains a challenge for many employers, but there are some innovative approaches employers are exploring.

New desks with a treadmill attached are getting a workout at Mary Greeley Medical Center in Ames. It's called TrekDesk and allows you to work out while – at work.  The desk has two legs that can adjust up or down. You just slide a treadmill under the desk and start working – and working out.

Wellness programs in the workplace help cut health care costs and reduce hospital admissions for employees with chronic illnesses, a new study suggests.

With all the implications that the Affordable Care Act has on employer’s health insurance obligations, it’s easy to overlook its effects on workplace wellness programs. Yet these programs are very much affected by Obamacare.

A new study found that wellness programs done at the workplace helps in maintaining employee's overall health and aids in saving money allotted for health care costs and hospital admissions.

It might be time to take a second look at your workplace wellness program. As companies continue to seek new ways to cut back on health care costs, wellness programs have become quite pervasive. According to a new study for the Labor Department conducted by Santa Monica, nearly half of U.S. employers with a minimum of 50 workers offered workplace wellness programs in 2012, while 90 percent of companies with greater than 50,000 workers offered the programs over the same period. 

Just over a third of U.S. adults ages 18 to 65 got the flu shot during the 2012-2013 flu season, according to a recent analysis, and if that trend holds for the current flu season, many adults may be at risk. 

Poor people with diabetes are significantly more likely to go to the hospital for dangerously low blood sugar at the end of the month when food budgets are tight than at the beginning of the month, a new study has found.

Facing increasing pressure to improve outcomes while reducing costs, hospitals and health systems around the nation have begun to focus on population health management, which involves preventive care, wellness programs, and public health initiatives.

Health insurance is the undisputed No. 1 most-valued company-sponsored benefit among employees today – by far. But what’s No. 2? Retirement savings? PTO?

States across the country are turning to the wellness programs as a way to encourage public employees to more actively engage in their health management.

Whether your business is self-insured or purchases a health plan, it’s time to bend the cost curve in your favor. Using a combination of robust data analytic tools and care management, population health management offers benefit managers a proactive approach to improve the health and well-being for members whose chronic conditions can account for 75 percent or more of your health care expenses.

The explosion in wellness apps and devices is making it easier for employers to help their workers stay healthy and active. But with products that do everything from count steps to measure glucose levels, deciding which tools to offer requires a focused wellness strategy, experts say.

Obesity among children from lower earning families rose compared to their well-off counterparts, according to a study that suggests the U.S. weight epidemic may be another sign of a growing divide between rich and poor.