Headlines about "Health plans - info for employees"

Gathered from the web by the editors at BenefitsLink.com.
More Tying the Knot to Get Health Insurance
Excerpt: "Some people marry for love, some for companionship and others for status or money. Now comes another reason to get hitched: health insurance. In a poll released Tuesday, 7 percent of Americans said they or someone in their household decided to marry in the past year so they could obtain health-care benefits via their spouse." (Chicago Tribune)

Study Says Individual Health Insurance Policy May Be More Stable Than Group Coverage
Excerpt: "For workers in fair or poor health, owning individual health insurance seems to offer more security than relying on employer-sponsored small-group health coverage does." (Life and Health Insurance News)

Retirement to Costa Rica? Retirement Bliss Can Be Dear in Developing World
Excerpt: "Health care is another revelation. What would it cost for non-citizens to purchase a health policy in Costa Rica? Now you are getting into the heart of how much it costs to retire to a developing country. Unless you are a citizen of Costa Rica, you may need to buy an overseas policy issued by an insurer in your home country. For U.S. citizens, Medicare generally doesn't cover treatment in foreign countries, so you may have to come back for medical care." (John Wasik on Bloomberg.com)

Study Reveals Pre-Retirement Attitudes Reinforce Inadequate Preparation for Retirement
Excerpt: "The survey evaluated a cross-section of Americans on their awareness of potential financial risks in retirement and how the awareness impacts the management of their finances before and during retirement." (Wolters Kluwer)

Health Insurance Benefits Offer Rates for Smaller Establishments by Business Age
Excerpt: "Researchers looking at the reasons why employers offer coverage have identified a variety of factors. These include both employee characteristics, such as earnings, occupation, part-time versus full-time status, union status, gender, and age, and employer characteristics, such as geographic region, industry, and firm and establishment size. This issue brief looks at a less well-understood factor that may also affect an employer's decision to offer health benefits: how long a business has been operating. We show that, among smaller and mid-sized establishments, the likelihood of offering coverage is associated with the age of the business." (Kaiser Family Foundation)

Health Plans, PBMs Consider New Ways to Boost the Health Literacy of Their Members
Excerpt: "[S]ome health plans and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) contacted by AIS are taking steps to address the health literacy issues of their members in an attempt to improve therapeutic outcomes and the bottom line." (AISHealth.com)

J.d. Power and Associates Reports Satisfaction with Health Plans Varies Dramatically from Region to Region
Comment by Don McCanne. Excerpt: "Although this was a J.D. Power study of consumer satisfaction, it does reveal a very important point. Only 45 percent of health plan members self-reported that they understood their health insurance coverage. The other half didn't, and that was correlated with lower satisfaction ratings." (Physicians for a National Health Program)

Health Plan Details Elude Most Americans
Excerpt: "Fifty-five percent of U.S. health-plan members don't fully understand 'critical details' of their insurance coverage, including prescription benefits, how to find the right doctor and appeal-coverage denials, a survey found. The majority of respondents rated their insurer lowest on communications and information provided to help them understand their plans, according to the survey released Wednesday by J.D. Power & Associates." (Bloomberg News via Arizona Daily Star)

Survey Findings: Two Roads Diverged: Hewitt's Annual Health Care Survey 2008
Excerpt: "For more than two decades, Hewitt Associates' health care survey has tracked employer health care practices, benefit programs, and efforts to provide and manage workforce health benefits. In 2008, Hewitt commissioned two surveys focusing on employer and employee health care trends and views." (Hewitt Associates; registration required to access findings)

Kaiser Health Tracking Poll - Election 2008, April 2008
Excerpt: "An April 2008 poll finds that health care costs rank among Americans' top personal economic problems, and their struggles to deal with those costs have affected both their financial well-being and their family's health care. Conducted by the Foundation's public opinion researchers, the poll probes into the economic concerns facing Americans and the ways they have dealt with the cost of health care." (Kaiser Family Foundation)

Another Reason to Get Married - Health Insurance
Excerpt: "In a poll released today, 7% of Americans said they or someone in their household decided to marry in the last year so they could get healthcare benefits via their spouse. 'It's a small number but a powerful result, because it shows how paying for healthcare is reflected not only in family budgets but in life decisions,' said Drew E. Altman, president of the Kaiser Family Foundation, which commissioned the survey as part of its regular polling on healthcare." (Los Angeles Times)

Multicultural Marketing of Employee Benefits (PDF)
12 pages. Excerpt: "This article examines how cultural studies that explore the way different demographic groups tend to approach issues of health, wealth, and career have important implications for the design, development, and delivery of HR products and services." (Hewitt Associates)

The Erosion of Employer-Provided Health Care in the United States and California, 1995-2006
Excerpt: "This report examines what role changes in the composition of employment have played in this decline. To what extent, for example, has this negative trend been driven by the loss of jobs with high rates of coverage? Conversely, what has been the role of diminished coverage rates within existing jobs?" (Economic Policy Institute)

Family Insurance Coverage Declines, Dependent Coverage Better in Large Firms, Says SBA Study
Excerpt: "Family health insurance coverage among all employers is declining and firms are shifting costs for their workers' coverage to other employers, both large and small, according to a survey recently released by the U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA) Office of Advocacy." (Wolters Kluwer)

Findings From the 2007 EBRI/Commonwealth Fund Consumerism in Health Care Survey: Implications for Plan Sponsors (PDF)
Pages 1-5 of 12 pages. Excerpt: "This article provides reaction to and analysis of the 2007 EBRI/Commonwealth Fund 'Consumerism in Health Care Survey,' published in the March 2008 EBRI Issue Brief and available online at www.ebri.org" (Employee Benefit Research Institute)

Study of Employee Benefits Trends: Findings from the 6th Annual National Survey of Employers and Employees (PDF)
65 pages. Excerpt: "The 6th annual MetLife Study of Employee Benefits Trends examines the attitudes of an increasingly diverse workforce toward financial and benefits-related issues. The Study also captures the benefits practices and perspectives of both small and large companies across a wide array of industries. Over a one-month period, MetLife surveyed 1,380 full-time employees and 1,652 benefits decision-makers nationwide about employee benefits and marketplace trends." (MetLife, Inc.)

Changes in Family Health Insurance Coverage for Small and Large Firm Workers and Dependents: Evidence from 1995 to 2005 (PDF)
69 pages. Excerpt: "This study finds that family health insurance coverage for workers in both small and large firms is decreasing, and that firm size plays a role in the type of dependent coverage children have. Access to coverage through a large firm as a dependent remains very important to small firm employees." (U.S. Small Business Administration)

Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance: Already Poor Access Dwindles Further for Working Latino Families
Excerpt: "Latinos are more likely to be uninsured than any other major racial or ethnic group in the U.S. This coverage gap is largely due to Latinos' poor access to employer-sponsored insurance (ESI). In 2006, just 40% of all Hispanics were covered by an employer health plan, compared to 66% of non-Hispanic Whites and 49% of non-Hispanic Blacks." (National Council of La Raza)

Summary of Results of the Online 2008 Health Care for America Survey
Excerpt: "The failures of America's health care system, the survey reveals, are a significant factor in broader economic problems facing working families today." (AFL-CIO)

National Compensation Survey - Employee Benefits in State and Local Governments in the United States, September 2007 (PDF)
32 pages. Excerpt: "In addition to presenting data on access to and participation in benefit plans, the tables in this release include data on provisions of life insurance plans, employee contributions to costs of medical care premiums, the allocation of medical plan costs between employees and employers, and employer premiums." (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Tips for Outsourcing Benefits Communication and Enrollment
Excerpt: "Knowing that employees need to understand the value of their benefit plans, companies of all sizes have turned to vendors that specialize in communicating employee benefits. The goal is to make open enrollment and new employee orientation less stressful, substantially elevate your workforce's knowledge and appreciation of your benefits and drive a great ROI for your company." (Employee Benefit News; free registration required)

Aetna Announces Plans to Offer New Online Search Engine to Provide Members with Access to Medical Information
Excerpt: "Aetna officials . . . announced plans to offer a new online search engine that will allow members to access at no cost medical information, information on local physicians who can address their needs and cost information based on their medical histories and coverage levels, the San Francisco Chronicle reports . . . ." (Kaiser Family Foundation)

Too Much Freedom of Choice Causes Bad Decisions; Time to Push Participants in Right Direction?
Excerpt: "Among the most influential of these new ideas is the 'nudge' - a model for how employers, friends, and even the government can structure people's choices to push them in the right direction without restricting their freedom to go their own way. It can take a variety of shapes, from the automatic-enrollment version of the 401(k) to cash payments that encourage recovering drug addicts to stay clean to new kinds of feedback on the power consumption of cars and appliances that will subtly encourage people to save energy." (The Boston Globe)

Mid-Size Employer Turns to 'Hybrid' CDHP Model
Excerpt: "Sperian Protection, an equipment manufacturer, lowered its health care costs over the past years with some innovative tinkering with consumer-driven health care options and through a catchy communications program." (Employee Benefit News; free registration required)

Patient Opinions to Be Added to Hospital Comparison Web Site
Excerpt: "Beginning later this month, the federal government's Hospital Compare Web site will expand to include patient opinions based on satisfaction surveys conducted at nearly all hospitals, the San Antonio Express-News reports." (California HealthCare Foundation; free registration may be required)

Retirement Benefits Rare Among Small Businesses in California
Excerpt: "Retirement benefits and 401(k) plans are scarce among small business owners surveyed. Only 17% offer 401(k) plans and 12% offer retirement benefits." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)

Employers Increasing Internal Communications to Engage Workers in Benefits Plans - Better Targeting of Messages Is Necessary As Well
Excerpt: "One size does not fit all when it comes to communicating with your employees about their benefits. Maybe a memo describing Plan A versus Plan B was once all that workers needed. But that was in the days before wellness plans and before baby boomers were more interested in retirement planning than vacation time." (Human Resource Executive Online)

How Savvy Are Employees (and Employers) About Their Health Benefits? (PDF)
Pages 5-8 of 12 pages. (Milliman)

Sure, It's from AARP. But Is It a Good Deal?
Excerpt: "Andrew Tignanelli, president of Financial Consulate, a Lutherville (Md.) financial-planning firm, figured the retirement products AARP offered were sure to be winners. But after comparing the nonprofit's new mutual funds and annuity, plus older life insurance offerings, with those of rivals, Tignanelli reached a surprising conclusion: 'The majority of people can get a better deal elsewhere.'" (Business Week)

Baby Boomers Find Bridge from Early Retirement to Medicare
Excerpt: "[T]here may be hope on the horizon. Lured by the baby boomer generation's size and affluence, a number of insurers have begun to market policies specifically geared to the 50-to-64 age group. Some of the nation's largest health insurers -- Aetna, Humana and WellPoint -- are introducing more comprehensive products designed for people who were used to benefit-rich plans in their jobs." (Dallas Morning News)

Economic Pinch from Employer Benefits Cost-Shifting Hurting Next Generation
Excerpt: "Nearly three-quarters (72%) of Americans say they are worried that the financial burden from cost shifting of employer-sponsored benefits will make it harder for their children to lead a comfortable life, a new survey found. A news release about MetLife's second Study of the American Dream report said about two-thirds of Americans report feeling an economic pinch from being asked to pick up more of the health coverage tab." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)

Campaign 2008: Facts on Benefits Issues
Excerpt: "Health and retirement issues are being raised as the 2008 election campaign heats up. To help provide a factual basis of reference for reporters and others involved in these campaign issues, EBRI is providing . . . questions and answers about major employee health and retirement benefits. Hotlinks to relevant tables and charts of data are provided at the end of each answer." (Employee Benefit Research Institute)

Medical Publisher Launches Beta Health Wiki
Excerpt: "Science, technical and medical publisher Elsevier's WiserWiki, a clinical health information wiki created by board-certified doctors, could be a big factor in helping consumers overcome their distrust of online health information. WiserWiki, launched in November 2007 and currently in beta, is like other wikis in that it allows users to create and power a collaborative, community Web site that is populated with information contributed by community members." (eWeek.com)

Wal-Mart Says Most Workers Have Health Plan
Excerpt: "Wal-Mart Stores, the nation's largest private employer, said on Tuesday that for the first time in its 45-year history more than half of its workers had enrolled in the company's health insurance plan, a potent milestone for a retailer long associated with unaffordable benefits." (The New York Times; free registration required)

Aetna Shows How Insurers Can Protect Genetic Privacy
Excerpt: "Aetna, one of the nation's largest health insurers, has begun offering confidential genetic counseling for certain cancers over the phone and through the Internet. The service is available only to members whose coverage includes in-person genetic counseling, but the program could greatly expand patients' access to their genetic history." (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

Study is Unclear Whether Hospital Data Influence Patients' Decisions
Excerpt: "The study, titled 'Systematic Review: The Evidence That Publishing Patient Care Performance Data Improves Quality of Care,' found that there is scant evidence to determine if public reporting of hospital data impacts patients' decisions." (California HealthCare Foundation; free registration may be required)

Employees Take Advantage of Wellness Resources -- When They're Available
Excerpt: "Only one in seven workers have access to educational wellness tools and fitness center discounts, reports the Principal Financial Well-Being Index." (Employee Benefit News; free registration required)

Featured Podcast: 'Five Minutes With...' Health Care Advocate Betty Long
Excerpt: "This week, hear Associate Editor Chris Silva talk with Betty Long, president of the Pennsylvania-based health care advocacy firm Guardian Nurses. Long gives an overview on patient advocacy and the benefit it provides to employers and employees." (Employee Benefit News; free registration required)

Employer Support Needed to Increase Awareness of Cervical Cancer Vaccinations
Excerpt: "[E]mployers are not doing all they can to educate employees about the HPV, cervical cancer and the vaccine that can prevent them, health experts contend. The issue isn't necessarily one of coverage. Nearly all health plans cover routine Pap screenings, and a high number of insurers cover Gardasil injections. But there remains a gap in communications and compliance, according to health pros." (Employee Benefit News; free registration required)

Health Benefits Paramount for Workers When Choosing an Employer
Excerpt: "Employers contemplating cutting back on medical benefits might want to mull this: A new survey shows that workers place an extremely high value on health care coverage. In fact, according to a survey of 1,200 adults sponsored by the Center for State and Local Government Excellence, 84 percent of the respondents said that health insurance has become a 'very important' characteristic when choosing a new job." (Workforce Management; free registration required)

Listening to Consumers: Values-Focused Health Benefits and Education (PDF)
24 pages. Excerpt: "How can employers educate their workers about health coverage? Is there a payback? Since the vast majority of Americans who have health coverage obtain it through their (or a family member's) employer, and with health benefits on track to become the single-largest expense of any employee benefit, the issue of education is important both to the sponsors and the beneficiaries of health insurance coverage. Among the key questions facing employers: What kind of education will work? And is there a payback for trying to educate workers about health coverage and care?" (Employee Benefit Research Institute)

Using Patient Advocacy Programs to Help Fill the Gaps in a Porous Medical System
Excerpt: "After some initial resistance, the employees of Hess Print Solutions, which hired a patient advocacy company to help improve care and reduce cost, embraced the idea of getting help in negotiating a health care maze that can be full of dead ends. But, as the company learned, advocacy can't resolve every health issue." (Workforce Management; free registration required)

'Health Care Benefits: Eligibility, Coverage and Exclusions' Contains 22 Sample Health Care Policies and Summary Plan Descriptions
Excerpt: "New research from the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP) has found medical tourism, where an individual travels to another country to seek medical care, is covered by 11% of surveyed organizations." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)

Consumers Don't Understand Health Insurance Terminology, According to Survey
Excerpt: "California-based eHealth, an online health insurance provider, commissioned the survey, which questioned 1,010 adults on health insurance terms and their own policy." (Employee Benefit News; free registration required)

Will More Data Create Health Care Shoppers?
Excerpt: "Employers and other big purchasers of health care expect much from an injection of consumerism into the market for health services. But even the most ardent advocates acknowledge that consumer-directed health care still has far to go before delivering its hoped-for results." (Oregon Live LLC)

Survey Shows Consumers Want Health Care Pricing Data
Excerpt: "An unusual consumer survey by The Regence Group has strengthened the health insurer's conviction that people care about health care prices and quality, and that patients will shop like consumers if they're given the information they need to do so." (Portland Business Journal via bizjournals.com; free registration required)

Highlights of Results from the 'Employee Benefits Survey: U.S. and Canada 2007'
Excerpt: "Based on member requests and need, the International Foundation has developed a broad employee benefits survey to benchmark the benefits offerings and design of four distinct employment sectors throughout the United States and Canada." (International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans)

15 Health Plan Law Guidance Pointers from the Department of Labor
Excerpt: "The Department of Labor provides a substantial compliance assistance resource. The [target page] information, taken from the DOL site, provides the starting point for helpful client newsletters and advice . . . ." (Health Plan Law blog by Attorney Roy F. Harmon III)

Chart: Medical Care Benefits for Lower and Higher Wage Workers
Excerpt: "Three different rates are calculated to measure health insurance benefits: the access rate, the participation rate, and the take-up rate." (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

COBRA Notice not Due to Employee Who Failed to Pay Health Premiums
Excerpt: "The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has agreed with a lower court ruling that a former Tyson Foods employee was not entitled to notification under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) - because he failed to pay his health care plan premiums while on medical leave prior to his termination." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)

Opinion: Looking Through Health Care Transparency to User-Friendly Access
Excerpt: "Recent years have witnessed important efforts to provide more and better cost and quality information to health care consumers -- but promoting value in health care requires more than just transparency. Consumers need user-friendly access to all the information that matters -- and some compelling reasons to use it." (Workforce Management; free registration required)

Overview: IRS Clarifies Definition of 'Qualifying Relative' for Purposes of Determining Who Is a Dependent (PDF)
Excerpt: "On December 18, 2007, the IRS issued Notice 2008-5, which clarifies when an individual will qualify as a dependent under Code Section 152. The Notice expands the definition of 'qualifying relative' so children who live with and are supported by a non-parent taxpayer (e.g., anunrelated friend, grandparent, or domestic partner) may be eligible to receive coverage from the taxpayer's health plan on a tax-free basis." (Miller & Chevalier Chartered)

Small Business Owners Say Health Insurance is a Top Incentive to Recruit/Retain Workers
Excerpt: "After pay, health insurance is the single-most important incentive that small businesses use to recruit and keep workers, according to results of an annual employer survey published Dec. 12 by the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (NAPEO)." (Business Wire via InsuranceNewsNet.com)

Striking a Balance Between High-Tech and High-Touch Enrollment
Excerpt: "'Open enrollment today, whether you're large or small, really is moving towards the paperless environment and that's really through the Web,' says Brad Flipse, sales VP at BeneTrac. While paperless enrollment is a huge help to advisers and their clients, it can be intimidating for employees who desire high-touch assistance from an adviser." (Employee Benefit Advisor; free registration required)

How to Secure Your Finances When on Assignment Abroad
Excerpt: "Given that international assignments are on the rise -- almost 40% of respondents to KPMG's 2007 survey on global assignment policies and practices expect to use expatriate employees more in the next five years -- resolving those issues means more time devoted to the job at hand and less time worrying about the impact of the job on your personal finances." (CFO.com)

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