New laws. New employment trends. Compliance changes and challenges.

All these can complicate the job for a human resources professional. As an owner firm of United Benefit Advisors,® we can help you keep up-to-date on the latest HR related news and events with HR Elements,® an exclusive monthly newsletter that covers the major news and events that affect HR and employers. HR Elements’ brief articles cover a wide variety of topics and are designed to deliver the news in a fast and easy-to-read format. HR Elements can save you the trouble of searching the internet or combing through piles of industry journals by giving you a reliable source for HR news.

Click here for our August 2011 HR Elements Bulletin

This month’s topics include:
Health Care Reform
Prescription Drugs
Retention

View July’s Newsletter

As presented by the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease, “Population health improvement efforts could have an enormous impact on preventing or delaying disease onset by focusing on reducing modifiable population risk factors and health behaviors, such as poor diet, lack of physical activity, and smoking. In addition, upon diagnosis of a chronic disease, disease management efforts can be employed to help mitigate its effects. Addressing how the current system encourages maintaining the status quo and realigning those incentives to encourage the changes needed to make a difference will contribute to the success of population health management.”

Read more about specific programs established in communities, workplaces, and schools that WORK!

Download the Roadmap to Building a Successful Health Program

 Source:

Are You Driving the Right Behaviors?

Click here to review the four questions that you should consider to promote wellness.

Source:  NADP/Guardian

The 2011 UBA Benefit Opinions Survey – a consolidation of the Employer Opinion Survey and the Employer Benefit Perspectives Survey – provides a summary of employers’ attitudes and strategies regarding employer-provided health care. This survey reveals which strategies are actually being implemented (rather than just talked about) and which ones are really working — vital, current information that can help you evaluate your benefit offerings.

The survey delineates employers’ opinions in five key areas:

Health Plan Strategy
Benefits Philosophy and Opinion
Health Plan Management
Personal Health Management
Employee Communications 

The survey results compile information from employers representing all major industry classifications, employee size categories and regions of the country.

A number of themes identified in our last survey conducted in 2010 were dominant again this year, some new findings emerged:

• Nearly all (99.38%) top decision makers remain concerned with the impact health care costs are having or are going to have on their overall corporate costs (essentially unchanged from our last survey).  More than one half said it was a critical concern.  Just slightly fewer (97.89%) are also concerned with the impact health care costs are having on their employees, consistent with our last report.
• In general, employers felt better prepared to communicate and implement more complex strategies to deal with health benefits, yet they are far less prepared to meet the legislative and regulatory requirements, with only one in five employers stating they are fully prepared to deal with all the regulatory compliance requirements.
• The percentage of employers who feel employees should bear the bulk of future health care cost increases remains essentially the same as 2008 (12%) with this year’s results of 12.46%.
• At the same time, the belief that their organization should not help employees make effective retirement plan investment decisions (15.75%) decreased by about 25% from 2010 back to a level similar to 2008 (16.5%).
• Only 23.86% of the employers agree they should provide retiree benefits to employees over age 65.
• 93.79% of all employers reporting felt that a good benefits program keeps employees from leaving – improving retention – while 96.94% believe it helps attract new employees.  Two-thirds of the employers believe good benefits improve worker productivity.

See Results

The recent video from CBS News describes how some companies are seeing a significant return on their investment related to wellness initiatives. Learn how you might spark your employees’ health improvements with a chance to earn more $$. One successful incentive used to motivate employees is to pay ‘by the step’:  the more you walk – the more steps you take, earns you more wellness credit. Incentive based healthcare has shown to provide employers with a reduction in claims cost, less sick time taken, and higher productivity from a more engaged workforce.

Watch the video to learn more about this Win-Win scenario.

Source: CBS News

Read More or review answers to frequently asked questions
related to Health Insurance Exchanges.

Targeted communications to your employees keeps Wellness alive and strong in their daily lives – at work and at play. Wellness newsletters are just one way to counsel your employees while sharing valuable information and promoting your concern for their health & well-being. As you know, they are your most precious resource.

Click Here to Read This Month’s Newsletter

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Consider your Long Term Care expenses when planning for retirement. Don’t risk your life savings to the ravages of an unexpected major medical expense during your retirement years. Consider augmenting your retirement plan with Long Term Care insurance. Read more…

Source:  Employee Benefit Adviser 

Click HERE to learn more about controlling your health insurance costs.

Source:  Employee Benefit Adviser

Learn more and listen to employer testimonials for providing On-Site Clinics as part of your employee wellness program.

*Source:  Heatlhstat