ASHHRA Health and Wellness Pulse

FROM ASHHRA
BENEFITS

By Garry Spence

One of the only ways today’s healthcare workers have to save for retirement is through their employer-sponsored retirement plan, like a 403(b) or 401(k) account. Healthcare organizations can increase the overall effectiveness of these plans and drive better retirement outcomes for plan participants by understanding the unique savings behaviors of their workforce. Tailoring retirement plan offerings like retirement communication and plan design may increase the likelihood that employees will participate in their plan and save enough to take them to and through their retirement years.  

Visit http://www.naylornetwork.com/ahh-health/pdf/Feb_Retirement_Readiness_Lincoln_Financial_Group.pdf to view the full article online.

 

By Stephenie Overman 

When young Beatles fans first heard "When I’m 64," the lyric, "Will you still need me, will you still feed me?" was only a cute rhyme. Now, replaying their memories of the Fab Four’s U.S. invasion 50 years ago, aging baby boomers may find the questions more relevant.

SOURCE: BENEFITS PRO

Visit http://www.benefitspro.com/2014/02/12/backup-elder-care-proving-popular?t=employer-paid to view the full article online.

 

By Keith Kitani

In 2013, the crucial parts of health care reform became a reality after months of debate and discussion, employers across the country revamped plans while consumers attempted to make sense of the complex and confusing new landscape. As we begin the New Year, educating employees about new benefit programs through innovative, digital communication will be absolutely crucial.

SOURCE: EMPLOYEE BENEFITS NEWS

Visit http://ebn.benefitnews.com/blog/ebviews/five-predictions-for-2014-revolutionizing-employee-engagement-2738966-1.html to view the full article online.

 

By Jared Bilski

It’s becoming one of the more common cost-control measures employers have at their disposal regarding health care: dropping spouses from their plan if those spouses are offered coverage through their own employer. But new research suggests there are several unintended consequences of this move many firms aren’t aware of.

SOURCE: HR BENEFITS ALERT

Visit http://www.hrbenefitsalert.com/domino-effect-dropping-spouses-health-costs/ to view the full article online.

 

By Ben Cohen

Good or bad, the ACA provides employers with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to examine the role of benefits in attracting and keeping the employees. 

SOURCE: WORKFORCE.COM

Visit http://www.workforce.com/articles/20233-the-remedy-for-aca-headaches-in-2015 to view the full article online.

 

The average 401(k) balance continued its growth trend to end the fourth quarter of 2013 at a new record high of $89,300, up 15.5 percent from one year earlier, and nearly double what is traditionally considered the market low of March 2009 when it was $46,2002. The Fidelity Investments analysis found pre-retirees age 55 and older had an average balance of $165,200. While 78 percent of the year-over-year increase was due to positive stock market momentum, a full 22 percent of the growth came from employee and employer contributions. 

SOURCE: WORLD AT WORK

Visit http://www.worldatwork.org/adimComment?id=74750&from=Total%20Rewards%20News%20All to view the full article online.

 

Health Savings Accounts grew to an estimated $19.3 billion in assets and 10.7 million accounts at year-end 2013 and exceeded $20 billion in assets during the month of January, according to the annual HSA survey from Devenir.

SOURCE: WORLD AT WORK

Visit http://www.worldatwork.org/adimComment?id=74734&from=Benefits%20News to view the full article online.

 

Employers who offer their employees stand-alone vision benefits experienced $5.8 billion in cost savings over four years due to reduced health care costs, avoided productivity losses, and lower turnover rates. A study, conducted by HCMS Group, determined that individuals who receive an annual comprehensive eye exam are more likely to enter the health care system earlier for treatment of serious health conditions, thereby significantly reducing their long-term cost of care. Additionally, people are more likely to get an annual comprehensive eye exam than a routine physical.

SOURCE: WORLD AT WORK

Visit http://www.worldatwork.org/adimComment?id=74721&from=Benefits%20News to view the full article online.

 

Although employers express concerns over the growing proportion of drug cost attributable to specialty medications, currently exceeding 30 percent and expected to increase to more than 50 percent in the next several years, only 16 percent devote more than 30 percent of pharmacy benefit management time to specialty drugs.

SOURCE: WORLD AT WORK

Visit http://www.worldatwork.org/adimComment?id=74738&from=Benefits%20News%20All to view the full article online.

 

Record-breaking low temperatures, snow, and ice across the country has caused a spike in the requests for use of employee assistance programs (EAPs) due to winter blues, according to CompPsych.

SOURCE: HR.BLR.COM

Visit http://hr.blr.com/HR-news/Benefits-Leave/Employee-Assistance-Programs-EAPs/Winter-weather-woes-increase-need-for-EAP-services to view the full article online.

 

By Melissa Winn

Employees with ready access to mobile devices, such as smart phones and tablets, prefer accessing employee benefit and pay information using mobile apps rather than using their desktops and laptop computers, an ADP Research Institute Study shows.

SOURCE: VOLUNTARY.COM

Visit http://www.voluntary.com/news/adp-employees-want-benefits-content-on-mobile-devices-2739377-1.html to view the full article online.

 

By Michael Giardina

Industry onlookers are saying that the voluntary exemption in the Affordable Care Act will do little to improve dental health across the nation as projections point to federal and health exchanges doing little to lower costs for Americans. However, can private dental exchanges and savings plans help to fill this void?

SOURCE: VOLUNTARY.COM

Visit http://www.voluntary.com/news/dental-health-savings-plans-suppress-employer-aca-aches-2739338-1.html to view the full article online.

 
WELLNESS

By Heather Punke

A recent Gallup report found a majority of America's workers – 70 percent – are not engaged in their work. This is bad news for any industry, since, according to Gallup, companies have higher productivity and profitability, less employee turnover, and fewer safety incidents when their employees are engaged.

SOURCE: BECKER’S HOSPITAL REVIEW

Visit http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/workforce-labor-management/3-insider-tips-for-happier-hospital-employees.html to view the full article online.

 

By Kelly Carpenter, PhD 

The short-term motivators and health advice typical of wellness programs provide general benefits across an employee population, but people needing sustained weight loss require concentrated behavior change assistance specific to their condition.

SOURCE: EMPLOYEE BENEFIT NEWS

Visit http://ebn.benefitnews.com/blog/ebviews/why-wellness-programs-alone-will-not-deliver-employee-weight-loss-2739237-1.html to view the full article online.

 

By Susan Ladika

When it comes to wellness, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey found employees’ interests and needs are as diverse as the employees themselves. 

SOURCE: WORKFORCE.COM

Visit http://www.workforce.com/articles/20232-employers-are-resizing-wellness-plans to view the full article online.

 

By Heather Punke

Sixty-nine percent of health care workers feel stressed in their job, and 17 percent are "highly stressed," according to a survey from CareerBuilder and MiracleWorkers.com.

SOURCE: BECKER’S HOSPITAL REVIEW

Visit http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/workforce-labor-management/healthcare-workers-are-the-nation-s-most-stressed.html to view the full article online.

 

By Zack Seward

Workplace wellness programs have sprouted up with a vengeance in the last decade or so. The term includes everything from work-sponsored biometric screenings, to anti-smoking programs, to health coaching and, yes, even Zumba classes.

SOURCE: NEWSWORKS.ORG

Visit http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/local/the-pulse/64755-whats-next-for-workplace-wellness-lifevest-health-wellnow to view the full article online.

 

By James Tehrani

Does your wellness program consist of dangling carrots alone? If so, then let me weigh in. As you might know, social media is abuzz with criticisms that the latest winner of NBC’s "The Biggest Loser" went overboard with her weight loss. She went from 260 pounds to 105, losing almost 60 percent of her body weight by eating 1,600 calories a day and working out "a ton."

SOURCE: WORKFORCE.COM

Visit http://www.workforce.com/blogs/4-whatever-works/post/20253-the-biggest-loser-winner-debate-and-what-it-means-for-wellness to view the full article online.

 

By Ladan Nikravan

Knowing employees spend more than 2,000 hours annually at work, many organizations have realized it makes good business sense to keep them healthy.

SOURCE: WORKFORCE.COM

Visit http://www.workforce.com/articles/20231-dont-let-wellness-panels-grow-fat-and-lazy-experts to view the full article online.

 

Healthiest Employers, the leader in employee health analytics, best practices, and benchmark data, has announced the induction of Decatur County Memorial Hospital (DCMH) into the number two spot on the 2014 Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America. 

SOURCE: GREENSBURGDAILYNEWS.COM

Visit http://www.greensburgdailynews.com/local/x1196442112/DCMH-named-number-2-Healthiest-Workplace-in-America to view the full article online.

 

By Elaine Quayle

With e-cigarettes suddenly in the news after recent bans by Chicago and New York City and the controversy over their use at the Golden Globe awards, employers may have questions about the use of e-cigarettes in their workplace and what changes to smoking policies and procedures they should have in place.

SOURCE: HR.BLR.COM

Visit http://hr.blr.com/HR-news/Performance-Termination/Smoking-Workplace/Should-employers-allow-e-cigarettes-in-the-workpla# to view the full article online.

 

CNO Financial Group, Inc. (CNO), was a winner of the 2014 Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America named by Healthiest Employers, a health analytics company. CNO CEO Ed Bonach explained, "We win or lose with our people. Investing in our people – and in the programs that improve their health is not only the right thing to do, but also critical to our company’s long-term success."

SOURCE: HR.BLR.COM

Visit http://hr.blr.com/HR-news/Benefits-Leave/Employee-Wellness/Best-Practice-Investing-in-employee-wellness-key-t to view the full article online.

 

By Rita Pyrillis

When O’Neal Industries launched a comprehensive wellness initiative in 2011, measuring the program’s success was a critical goal. But O’Neal executives wanted to know more than just participation rates and claims data – the most obvious markers of a successful wellness effort. They wanted to understand the link between smoking and workplace injuries, and the connection between arthritis and absenteeism, among other measures. In other words, they wanted to know exactly how health care costs were affecting their bottom line.

SOURCE: WORKFORCE.COM

Visit http://www.workforce.com/articles/20240-all-is-not-well to view the full article online.

 

By Rita Pyrillis

In their quest to find what motivates employees to eat right, exercise, quit smoking, or take a greater interest in their health benefits, employers are experimenting with wellness apps, personal tracking gadgets, workforce health challenges, and other ways to encourage behavior change. But one organization figured it out decades ago in what could be the nation’s first successful social wellness program – Weight Watchers.

SOURCE: WORKFORCE.COM

Visit http://www.workforce.com/articles/20245-on-the-weight-watch to view the full article online.

 

By Gary Cassidy

It’s no secret that a multi-faceted, well-executed wellness program can be extremely advantageous to both employers and their workers. Wellness can specifically increase job satisfaction among current and prospective employees. However, employers can’t expect these results to occur overnight. While many launch wellness programs, they often fall short of expectations. Perhaps the biggest reason this happens is inadequate communications to employees. 

SOURCE: EMPLOYEE BENEFIT VIEWS

Visit http://ebn.benefitnews.com/blog/ebviews/the-critical-nature-of-communication-in-wellness-2739248-1.html to view the full article online.