Health & Safety

High Deductible Plans Mean Fewer Office Visits and Less Rx Use—Good? or Bad?

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:00:00 GMT

In the early- to mid-2000s, if you were like most employers you were (and probably still are) fixated on controlling the increasing cost of health care. One of the many tools that came on the scene in those days was the consumer-directed health plan (CDHP). CDHPs, which often feature high-deductible component, were meant to increase employee awareness and accountability in the health services transaction. The long-term goals were to control healthcare spending and make employees better consumers of health care.

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The ACA’s Wellness Regs: An Ounce of Prevention or a Big Headache?

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 00:00:00 GMT

We are all familiar with the words of Benjamin Franklin: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” While it is hard to say what the famous politician, diplomat, founding father and raconteur would think of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), we think he might like some of its features. In fact, it is likely that he would love one of the hallmarks of the new law, specifically its emphasis on wellness and prevention. But employers may not like some of the regulations regarding wellness and prevention that the ACA brings with it.

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Who Feels Stress More, Men or Women?

Wed, 29 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

So we’ve made it through the Great Recession. Or have we? The event has come and gone, but what about the effects? Some employees lost their jobs while their colleagues were forced to take on multiple roles as they tried to keep their organizations solvent. Both groups encountered stress and the effects stress has on the human body.

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Executives Burn Out, Like Everyone Else. How Can They Stave it Off?

Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

A study conducted by Harvard Medical School found that 96% of senior leaders reported feeling burned out to some degree, with one-third describing their burnout as extreme.

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The Final Stage of Emergency and Disaster Planning: Recovery

Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

This article on Emergency Response planning will wrap up our series of three articles on that subject. First, we reviewed the OSHA requirements for employers with over ten employees. Then we reviewed the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Emergency Management Guide for Business and Industry, which presented step-by-step instructions on developing a company plan to respond to the kinds of catastrophic emergencies an organization can face. But keep in mind that Emergency and Disaster Planning is a big subject, bigger than any three short articles. Planners must do their homework to develop he right comprehensive plan for their organization.

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As Time Gets Short, ACA Still Too Confusing for Many Employers and Individuals

Wed, 01 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

No one expected it to be easy to understand and implement the Affordable Care Act, but at some point they figured it should start to make sense. But the truth is that for many employers and individuals, we have not reached that point yet. Everybody from insurance companies to small businesses to healthcare systems appears to be in a sustained state of anxiety. So we plod along hoping that point in time will get here, and soon.

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Bombings and Explosions: Does Your Company Have a Comprehensive Emergency Plan?

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The bombings and criminal manhunt in Boston and the massive explosion in the town of West, Texas compel employers to consider the physical crises that can hit their facilities and the impact they can have on the organization and the lives of its employees.

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Are You Biased Against the Overweight and Heavyset?

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Under Michigan law, employers cannot discriminate against people on the basis of weight, but this discrimination appears rampant in the U.S. According to studies at the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, up to 50% of all Americans are considered overweight. Being overweight is linked to coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and some types of cancer and is estimated to cause 310,000 - 580,000 deaths and cost $71 billion annually in health care. According to the center, if current trends continue, every person in the U.S. will be obese by 2230. Not good news.

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Are Disabled Workers Being Undercounted in the Workforce?

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

On March 14^th the U.S. Census Bureau came out with a new national disability employment database. The Disability Employment Tabulation 2008-2010 — available on American FactFinder (the Census Bureau's online statistics search tool) — is sponsored by the Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy(ODEP) and Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP).

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