States Vary on Exchange Status

March 6, 2012 1:50 pm Businessolver Banter, Industry News

Among the uncertainty surrounding the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), nothing is on shakier ground than state exchanges. A few states have already developed their own exchange or are on their way to doing so, while the majority is still researching or debating legislation related to the establishment of an exchange. Interestingly, a recent piece by Dennis Storey in Benefits Selling pointed out that, “a new Urban Institute/Robert Wood Foundation study reveals that the states taking the most time are the ones with the most to lose – and the most to gain.” The research examines the possible change in employer-sponsored insurance coverage by state as well as their progress toward establishing an exchange.

Finding Consensus Among Finance and HR: Pay or Play

March 5, 2012 4:14 pm Businessolver Banter, Industry News

Employers across the US are still weighing their options and trying to determine their health benefits strategy based on health care reform.

Towers Watson recently surveyed the two key decision makers within organizations - HR and finance – to see if they were in sync regarding the future strategy. No surprisingly, “impact on costs” was the cited as the most important factor that will affect decisions about health care reform with 82% of HR and 69% of finance respondents indicating the bottom line still takes top bill. But the second highest response was a bit of a surprise. 48% of HR and 30% of finance respondents cited “actions of our industry” as a critical factor. The fact that “actions of our industry” was rated so highly reveals that both finance and HR professionals are definitely concerned with winning the war for talent and the only sustainable difference between competitors. And if that is the case, it will be interesting to see how employers respond to the “pay or play” option when the rubber hits the road in the next few years.

You Have Built It. But Will They Come? How to Promote Your High Deductible Plan

March 1, 2012 3:02 pm Businessolver Banter, Industry News

You likely spent many months last year designing alternative health insurance options designed to help employees make better choices and live healthier lives, and to help your entire organization save healthcare dollars. As you begin planning for next year, it’s worth your effort to evaluate your communication and education tools. Last year you may have thought the benefits of these programs were apparent enough without having to push them too hard. But from the disappointing enrollment numbers, perhaps you were wrong. Or maybe you need to think more about how well you educated and engaged your employees to help them make the best choice.

Now is a good time to rethink your strategy for communicating your benefits choices next time.

A study by Buck consultants shows that the more information employees are given, the more likely they are to select the a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP), and the happier they are with that decision later. The Buck study showed that online tools and calculators were extremely helpful; informational employee meetings were also seen as beneficial.

Research about how people make choices may help you design a communications strategy. Simply changing the order of presentation of benefits plans may affect outcomes, suggests Christopher Goldsmith, Sibson Consulting, an expert on health and welfare benefit plans. For example, if you are trying to encourage participation in a new HDHP rather than the previously popular PPO, place the HDHP at the top of the list of options.

Goldsmith suggests working with buyer “biases” rather than allowing those biases to work against you. For example, to capitalize on the “Jump on the Bandwagon” bias, communicate options to peer groups, leveraging testimonials from others in the group. The “Complexity Aversion” bias can be combatted by simplifying processes and making it sound easy in communications.

Your next open enrollment period may be months and months away, but if you want to affect change, start communicating now. Take case studies of employees who selected your HDHP this year; calculate cost savings, tell success stories. Do some sleuthing to discover employees’ greatest fears about a high deductible plan. If they feel they’re losing choices, dispel that myth. If it’s fear of unknown costs, put together multiple scenarios. Present your scenarios in a variety of formats. Some people have a high comprehension for charts and graphs; others need information provided in narrative style.

Businessolver can help simplify the communication process. Our online enrollment platform offers a variety of tools and calculators as well as unlimited opportunity to link through single sign on to web services for information and carrier sites. Contact your Businessolver representative today to find out how we can help you promote your plans most effectively.

EVENT: 2012 LEHRN HR Technology Expo

February 16, 2012 8:23 am Businessolver Banter, Industry News

4th Annual Minnesota HR Technology Expo
Presented by LEHRN
Feb. 29, 2012
Brooklyn Center, MN
Earle Brown Heritage Center

Learn more or register here.

EXHIBIT SCHEDULE

7:30 a.m. – 4:15 p.m. EXPO Schedule
9:30 a.m. –3:15 p.m. Exhibition Hall Open
4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Cocktail Reception at Embassy Suites Hotel

Growth of HSA Market Continues

February 15, 2012 1:37 pm Businessolver Banter, Industry News

Yet another bank has announced significant growth in health savings accounts. This week Bank of America announced a record 34 percent increase over the previous year buoyed by the addition of 50,000 new accounts.

The real news is the trend toward employee accountability and the focus on health care consumerism is continuing. More and more companies have turned to high deductible and/or consumer driven health plans as a way to drive cost conscious behavior by employees, and it seems to be working.

The challenge lies in supporting the decision-making process and communicating key messages to drive behavior. That’s the beauty of Businessolver’s single source benefits tool, Benefitsolver. To find out more about the tools available to support the shift toward health care consumerism, talk to your Businesolver representative.

Applying the Right Wellness Incentive

February 10, 2012 10:23 am Businessolver Banter, Industry News

Most employers today aren’t looking for further evidence that employee wellness programs provide the following benefits:

Reduce health care costs including workers’ compensation and disability
Reduce absenteeism
Boost employee productivity
Reduce workers’ compensation and disability-related costs
Improve employee morale and loyalty

But do you know how those benefits translate into dollars? A review in the American Journal of Health Promotion puts ROI at more than $4/$1. Not much more is needed to convince employers that these programs are worthwhile.

And employers are enthusiastic about offering incentives for these programs.

Starting in 2014, employers can offer up to 30 percent of an employee’s total health care premium for participating in wellness programs; up from the current 20 percent. This increase is the most favored aspect of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) among employers, according to a Lockton survey.

So you don’t need more convincing, and maybe you’re already offering a wellness program with incentives. But are you getting the most out of your investment?

Research shows that incentives help increase participation in programs like health assessments, biometric screenings and fitness programs. But what type of incentive works best? There are three basic types of incentives, according to the Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO).

Participation based. Just as it sounds, this type of incentive rewards employees for participating in a health management program. According to HERO, this type of reward does well to encourage participation, but doesn’t lead to much long-term behavior change.

Outcomes based. This type of incentive promises rewards for making progress, such as achieving or staying within ranges for things like blood pressure, cholesterol and body mass index (BMI). One downside to this type of incentive is that it is somewhat discriminatory, and employees who can’t (or won’t) make the goal don’t receive the reward, which can be counterproductive.

Progress based. This is a happy medium between the first two types of incentives. It sets goals and rewards the employee for making meaningful progress toward the goal. This type of incentive involves the most management, however, as it involves some customization.

No matter what style, or combination of styles, of incentives you offer, you must also make provisions for employees with conditions that prohibit them from taking part.

It may take a few years of tweaking, along with more research as these programs become more and more the norm, before you land on a wellness program that is bringing the results you seek. Talk to a Businessolver representative today to discover how we can help you design, implement and track a meaningful program for your employees.

Reduce Stress to Lower Healthcare Costs

January 26, 2012 8:51 am Industry News

Stress is one of the leading causes of illness and absenteeism in the workplace. A recent study shows that people with high-stress jobs go to the doctor 26% more than people in low-stress jobs. Another study shows that fully half of all absenteeism in the U.S. is stress-related.

While not all stress happens at work, employers can go a long way to help their employees reduce the pressure. Not only does reducing stress lead to fewer trips to the doctor, and less absenteeism, there’s a bonus: it helps increase productivity too.

Here are a few ways employers can help.

1.Encourage healthy behavior. Exercise is a proven stress-reducer. Just a brisk, 10-minute walk around your company campus can do wonders. Try implementing a walk break a few times a week and see what happens. Add a seventh-inning stretch during a long meeting. Good nutrition also helps overall mood. Encourage healthy snacks like fresh fruit and nuts rather than vending machine fare like chips and candy.

2.Promote positive thinking. Negative attitudes in the workplace can drive down morale and spike the stress level. While a Pollyanna attitude isn’t useful, remind managers to keep things in perspective when setting the general company mood.

3.Bring in some fun. Research shows that a good guffaw beats an apple for keeping the doctor away. Incorporate humor and fun activities, appropriately of course, to help lighten the mood.

4.Offer options for relaxation. While exercise helps the overall mood, sometimes just a break from the frantic pace can be a good short-term fix. Consider adding a lounge chair in a break room to allow employees to lie back and close their eyes for 10 minutes. Invite lunchtime speakers with tips about simple things like yoga stretches and deep breathing exercises. This type of information is often more well received in smaller groups rather than in an all-company meeting.

5.Remind employees of all of their options. Going to the doctor, where the answer is often medication, isn’t always the best solution. If your company offers an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) make sure you are promoting it, often and in various communication styles, to reach all your target audiences.

Businessolver makes it easy to target special audiences. HR administrators can craft messages to go to the whole company; break it down by department, location or employee class; or down to the individual level. Talk to a Businessolver representative today to find out more about personalizing YOUR message.

What’s Your HR Tech Strategy?

January 12, 2012 3:25 pm Businessolver Banter, Industry News

As you recover from the blur of annual enrollment, you’re likely thinking about what worked and what didn’t work. You may be wondering about that really cool-looking HR technology that your team is sure will make everything better. Be careful not to fall in love with features that may not actually address your real needs. Before you write the check, be sure you’re making decisions with an HR technology strategy in place. Start with the basics:

• Consider the business outcomes. Instead of focusing on the technology first, start with the outcomes you’d like to accomplish. Make a list of outcomes and make those the centerpiece of your technology evaluation.

• Align your HR tech strategy with overall corporate goals. You’ll likely have a hard time selling HR technology to decision makers if you’re focused solely on your team’s outcomes. Understand corporate goals and draw a straight line to your HR tech strategies and outcomes.

• Understand how tech will work with your processes and talent. If your processes aren’t working now, focus on how tech can improve them. Likewise, ensure your team’s talents are supported by HR tech. Optimally, HR tech will streamline or eliminate processes and allow your team to focus on more strategic tasks rather than manual administration.

Build a winning strategy that makes life easier and showcases you strategic prowess. Talk to a Businessolver representative today to learn how we can help you deliver on your HR technology strategy.

So You Have a Wellness Program. Is it Working?

January 10, 2012 1:27 pm Businessolver Banter, Industry News

The new year is here, and whether your company wellness program is new or been in place for a while, this is the time of year when employees are most likely to initiate wellness activities. So before the New Year’s resolutions fall by the wayside, take a fresh look at your programs to see that they are encouraging full participation.

You may have purchased a corporate wellness package, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But often such programs are one-size-fits-all, while most research shows that the most successful wellness programs are customized.

Don’t throw up your hands in despair if you feel you’ve thrown money at something that won’t work; just realize that you need to tailor your purchased program to your company’s needs, and to specific populations within your structure. For example, 20-somethings will probably be more motivated by fitness challenges and messages that speak to their vanity, while older workers might be more likely to respond to information about disease prevention.

Also be realistic about changing lifelong habits overnight. Obesity is the number one health problem facing the healthcare industry today, which means you have a two-front war: diet and exercise. Eating patterns are established very early in life and often come with strong emotional ties; even the most well-intentioned have trouble thinking about food differently. Simply offering a program and self-service links to websites probably isn’t going to motivate much change.

The following strategies are recognized by industry experts for making sure your wellness program is still alive and well after Groundhog’s Day.

Get support from the top. Your executive team can set an example by visibly participating in wellness programs. Top leadership should also share the “we’re all in this together” message about controlling costs.
Put your money where your mouth is. Research shows considerable ROI is possible with wellness programs. But success doesn’t come for free. Be prepared to outlay some expenses in order to see a greater return.
Get the word out. Motivation takes reminding. Constantly. Keep the message fresh and keep it coming. Tailor it to small groups, down to the individual level if possible.

The Businessolver online enrollment platform offers many opportunities to promote and track wellness participation. Your wellness plan can be linked to annual benefits enrollment, and then promoted and supported all year long with links to websites, custom messaging, surveys and more. Resolve to connect with your Businessolver representative today to find out how we can help you achieve your company’s wellness goals.

Resolutions for the Busy HR Exec

January 4, 2012 7:31 am Businessolver Banter, Industry News

Annual enrollment is over and so are the holidays. Time to relax and catch up on your paperwork. Or book that well-deserved vacation. Or, think about using the time to get strategic. Putting strategies in place NOW can help make your whole year go more smoothly and take away some of the annual enrollment stress at the end of this year.

A good place to start is your company’s wellness program, especially if you implemented something new. Capitalize on your employees’ New Year’s resolutions and encourage participation in smoking cessation, weight loss and exercise programs. Consider a January special incentive for participation to get the year off to a good start. Heart rate monitors, exercise clothing, water bottles and gym bags make great prizes.

This is a new plan year and your insurance plans may have changed. Employees might appreciate reminders and updates about the new plans. If this is the first year for a Consumer Directed Health Plan (CDHP) which might include a Health Savings Account (HSA), consider holding educational brown bag lunches to answer questions or concerns about how to maintain these accounts and take full advantage.

Keep the reminders going about spending FSA accounts; if your company has a grace period for last year’s reimbursements, send out reminders. Employees will be digging through receipts to get ready for tax time; it’s also a good time to review 2011 medical expenses.

Winter is blah time and many employees may suffer from seasonal depression or winter blues. If your company offers an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), they may appreciate a reminder that limited free counseling is available.

Suddenly, it sounds like you have a busy January, but time spent wisely now will enable you to have a less stressful 2012. And, after all, wasn’t that one of your resolutions?

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