 December 2011 · Volume 3 · Issue 7In the News is a monthly e-newsletter from the National Business Group on Health highlighting some of the latest trends and best practices in employee benefits and innovative solutions to your most pressing health care issues. Some articles included in this e-newsletter may require subscription. |
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| President's Corner |
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Helen Darling
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While December can be the most wonderful month in many ways, it is also full of pressures from all fronts: children home from school, finding the right gifts, balancing many demands by family, friends, travel and even office events. In short, December is often filled with stresses in an already overstressed and sometimes harried existence.
What can you do to slow down and actually enjoy it? First, focus on what's important, and savor happy times together. Making great memories for your family will be the best possible gift you can give them. Second, do the things that make you and others happy. Learn to say "no, thanks" to marginal activities or personalities that add to your stress. Third, consider staying at home to relax. Have small gatherings that take less work and emphasize "visiting" -- a much higher ROI. Fourth, if you have problems you can't deal with, which often emerge during holidays, call your employee assistance program (EAP), which is there to help on a totally confidential basis and at no charge. Fifth, enjoy holiday food and drinks, but in smaller doses to avoid gaining weight over the holidays. Sixth, increase your physical activity in your time off. Exercise is a silver bullet that is great for your mental and physical health, performance and productivity. Exercise helps you manage stress, improves your resiliency and enables you to do more and feel even better.
This is a good time to remember that your good health is an asset worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, which you will learn if you become severely ill or injured. Take care of your health in the same way you build your 401(k) for a great retirement. Thinking about improving your health and happiness to be there for your loved ones is a great way to start the New Year, too.
All of us here at the National Business Group on Health look forward to serving you in 2012. In the meantime, warmest wishes for a wonderful holiday season and a very happy New Year.
Warm Regards,
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President and CEO
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Large Employers' Reform Agenda
Q&A with Helen Darling, Managed Care, October 2011
| The ability to tie hospital performance with payment is a big step forward to improving patient safety but much more needs to be done to reduce health care costs, according to Helen Darling, president and CEO of the National Business Group on Health.
In this Q&A, Darling discussed with Managed Care magazine's editor John Marcille, the importance of employers and health plans working together to reduce the cost curve of growth, not just to bend it.
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Summary of the Current Evidence Base for Financial Incentives
Issue Update, National Business Group on Health, November 2011
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Issue Update: Financial Incentives
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Employees say that cash is king when it comes to incentivizing them to get healthy. But employers are also focusing on premium discounts and surcharges, health savings/reimbursement account contributions, and are raising the stakes on incentive requirements and rewards.
This issue update gives a brief overview of some of the studies behind the effectiveness of incentives, including some tips from employers on how you can design an incentive program.
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| More Firms Using Incentives to Prod Employees to Fitness
The USA Today, November 25, 2011
| Tired of telling your employees to hit the gym or to stop smoking? Try sweetening the pot and offer them incentives.
In a survey of 335 employers, 54% of companies used financial incentives in 2011, up from 36% in 2009. The National Business Group on Health and Towers Watson survey also found that next year, 80% of companies plan to offer financial incentives for health management programs.
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Reducing Racial & Ethnic Health Disparities in the Workplace
Employer's Guide, National Business Group on Health, October 2011
| Many companies are now realizing the value of having a diverse workforce.
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Employer's Guide: Reducing Racial & Ethnic Health Disparities
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According to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report, the number of foreign-born workers in the U.S. rose in 2010, with Hispanics accounting for 49.9% and Asians 21.8%. Yet when it comes to their health status, many minorities experience more health disparities compared to their white counterparts.
This guide gives an overview of racial and ethnic health disparities and the steps an employer can take to close the health disparities gap.
Also, check out other disparities-related Business Group resources: Back to Top
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Engaging the Invincibles
Employee Benefit News, November 2011
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They were raised to believe they can do anything. So it's no wonder that many of the Generation Y or under-30 crowd also believe that they are immune to diseases or health-related problems. The reality, however, is that due to obesity and lifestyle choices, this group is more at risk for diabetes and other health problems than their older counterparts are.
This article describes five barriers to, and solutions for, getting younger employees to be more engaged in their health care decision.
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The Smokers' Surcharge
The New York Times, November 16, 2011
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Annual U.S. Deaths From Cigarette Smoking, CDC
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Besides being harmful to your health, smoking will also burn a hole through your wallet. A growing number of employers are imposing financial penalties on employees for this unhealthy habit. The use of penalties rose from 8% to 19% and is expected to double again in 2012, according to a 2011/2012 Stay@Work survey from the National Business Group on Health and Towers Watson.
Most recently, America's largest private employer, Wal-Mart Stores, imposed a surcharge for many of its workers who smoke. Home Depot, PepsiCo, Safeway, Lowe's and General Mills also impose higher premiums for their employees' risky health habits.
Also, read Treating Smokers in the Health Care Setting from the New England Journal of Medicine, September 29, 2011 and the Business Group's Tobacco Cessation website and What Employers Need to Know About E-Cigarettes fact sheet, October 2011. Back to Top
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At the Mall: New Clinics Let Patients Skip the ER
The Wall Street Journal, November 22, 2011
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Smart consumers know that waiting for hours in the emergency room to be treated for a minor health condition (e.g., cold, flu, strep throat) wastes precious time and money when they can get the same treatment for less at a retail clinic.
For common ailments, an emergency room visit is both unnecessary and costly, with copays usually hovering around $125 while copays for a retail clinic visit are typically $10-$30. Employers can educate their employees about what services they can get from a retail clinic as opposed to a hospital emergency room. Some studies show that the quality of care provided at retail clinics is comparable to services provided at hospitals.
Also, check some of the Business Group's resources on convenience care clinics.
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About the National Business Group on HealthFounded in 1974, the National Business Group on Health is the nation's only non-profit organization devoted exclusively to representing large employers' perspectives on national health policy issues and providing practical solutions to its members' most important health care problems. Its 330 members, including 65 of the Fortune 100 companies, provide health coverage for more than 55 million U.S. workers, retirees and their families. Business Group members are actively engaged in pursuing solutions to controlling health care costs, improving patient safety and quality of care and sharing best practices in health benefits management. |
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