If you haven’t already set the stage for your wellness program in 2014, now is a great time to begin! First, make sure you have the executive team’s buy in, not just lip service.  Then, get your Wellness Committee together (you have one, don’t you?).  Figure out what you want to include in your program, the necessary time commitments, your company’s resources, and your budget.  Do you want to focus solely on communications to employees, or seminars, biometrics events, and challenges?  Do you want to do something on a monthly basis, or quarterly? . If you’re not sure what health-related topics you want to focus on, consider holding an on-site biometric event first.  Biometrics screenings collect basic health information such as blood pressure, heart rate, and cholesterol.  With an aggregate report of your employees’ health stats, you can identify problem areas in your population and get great communication ideas that might actually improve the health of your employees.  Although the information to the employer is de-identified, personal information is given to each employee, so that everyone “knows their numbers,” and it may even identify a potential problem that the employee wasn’t aware of.  Many medical carriers will arrange these events for you (sometimes at no cost), and there are several ways that you can incentivize employees to participate, from prizes to premium discounts. . When planning your employee communications, take advantage of the free resources that your medial carrier has available.  Most carriers have a library of flyers and posters on just about any health-related subject you can imagine.  If you’re planning to include seminars or lunch & learns in your program, your carrier might be a great resource as well.  These are simple things you can do that don’t take a lot of time on your part, and may not cost much.  We can help you identify free resources for seminars or chair massage events that can help you round out your program. . There are many wellness companies out there that can help you coordinate a range of events as well.  You can also take advantage of community events such as 5Ks or charity walks.  Employees love competing against each other, and you can turn these events into departmental challenges.  Whatever your plan of action, get started today!  It can only do your company good. . Looking for more ideas?  Just This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or give us a call at 303.369.3200.

 The Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research & Educational Trust conducts an annual survey of employer-sponsored health insurance, which covers about 149 million people.  The survey conducted in January through May of 2013 was the 15th of its kind, and included responses from over 2,000 public and private employers with 3 or more employees. The survey found many of the prior year’s trends continuing into 2013: Offer Rates. 57% of all employers offer health benefits to their employees (61% in 2012), but the likelihood of offering benefits varies widely by company size.  45% of small employers with 3-9 workers offer coverage, but almost all employers with 1,000 or more employees offer coverage to at least some of their employees. Premiums and Contributions. Average annual premiums were $5,884 for single coverage (5% increase over 2012) and $16,351 for family coverage (4% increase).  These both mark a major departure from the double digit trend rates that plagued the industry much of the last decade. The amount that employees contribute toward single coverage has nearly doubled in the last ten years, and the amount they contribute toward family premium is not far behind, up 89% over the same period.  In 2013 employers contributed an average of 82% toward single coverage and 71% toward family coverage, relatively unchanged from 10 years ago.  The cost distribution between employers and employees varies depending on company size, type of plan, and other factors. Plan Types. PPOs are the most common type of plan, covering 57% of workers (especially in the larger employers), HDHPs cover 20%, HMOs cover 14%, and POS plans cover 9%.  Enrollment in HDHPs (the newest type of plan) had increased significantly between 2009 and 2011, but the rate of increase has leveled off in 2012 and 2013. The vast majority of employers (87%) only offer one type of plan. Cost Sharing. 81% of workers have plans that include copays for basic services, as well as an annual deductible and coinsurance to meet for more major services.  The average single deductible amount reported was $1,135, however deductible amounts were generally lower in larger companies and higher in smaller companies.  Average copay amounts are $23 for Primary Care Physicians and $35 for Specialists.  Average prescription copays for a 4-tier plan are $10, $29, $52, and $80. Wellness. Employers of all sizes continue to recognize the value of company wellness programs.  Almost all employers surveyed reported offering at least one type of wellness program to employees, including EAP programs, a wellness newsletter, weight-loss and smoking cessation programs, gym membership discounts or reimbursements, and classes and web-based resources for healthy living.  More details:

• 24% of employers offering health benefits provide employees with the opportunity to complete a Health Risk Assessment to help identify areas of concern in the employer population.
• Large companies are more likely to ask employees to complete HRAs, and 54% of large firms offering an HRA provide a financial incentive to complete it.
• 55% of large employers and 26% of smaller companies that offer health benefits also offer biometric screenings to employees.
• 11% of these large employers require the screening to be completed in order to enroll in the health plan, and 11% reward employees for participation or even for reaching certain health outcomes.

Although many of the findings in this survey were very similar to the findings from the previous year, more changes are expected during the next few years as more provisions of the Affordable Care Act go into effect.  The availability of the Exchanges may have an impact on employer coverage as well.  We are looking forward to seeing the results of the coming years’ surveys and will share the results with you.

 Many are confused about when the individual mandate is actually effective.  It DOES still go into effect in 2014, unlike the employer mandate which has been delayed in its entirety to 2015. Initially, the mandate would be considered to be satisfied if you had a gap of no more than two months of coverage, which would require individuals to enroll in coverage by March 1st.  However, there has been some new guidance issued just this month clarifying that individuals who enroll through the marketplace have until March 31st to select their coverage. Enrolling this late, however, means coverage would not be effective until  April or May, due to the rule requiring individuals to be enrolled by the 15th of the month prior to starting coverage. Because the enrollment period in the marketplace goes until March 31 this first year, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has clarified that individuals who enroll by March 31, 2014 in the marketplace WILL qualify for a hardship exemption from the mandate, even if their coverage does not start until April 1 or even May 1. Drop us a line or read more here if you have any further questions about this!

Small businesses with less than 50 employees have a big opportunity coming up with the launch of the individual and small group exchanges, now known as “Marketplaces.”

By now you’ve most likely heard about the one-year delay of the Employer Mandate provision of the ACA until 2015. 

Towers Watson has again released its excellent annual Employer Survey on Purchasing Value in Health Care. 

Penalties, deadlines, maximum deductible requirements. These healthcare reform provisions are enough to make a business owner bury their heads in the sand until these provisions kick in come 2014.

Tired of wellness programs that only get the healthy employees to participate? Want to create truly motivating incentives without breaking the bank?

The Election is almost here, the holidays are cranking up and every year we dub this “benefit season”.