It was no secret before President Trump signed the executive order that he wanted the Affordable Care Act (ACA) repealed, and now he has made his intentions clear. His first signed executive order requires federal agencies to ease the economic burden of the ACA “to the maximum extent permitted by law” until it is repealed. Although the executive order doesn’t grant the administration any powers that it didn’t already have, it does signal to the public that change is coming. 

Guest Article by Brad Cooper, CEO of US Corporate Wellness

The research is in, and it warrants an exclamation point!  An effective employee wellness program will provide a 125-600% ROI or more through decreased health care, sick time and disability costs, as well as improved recruitment, retention and employee engagement (and that doesn’t take into account the personal enhancements participants experience in their own lives!).  The result of this research has been a two-fold increase in the number of organizations that have launched wellness programs for their employees in recent years.  Only one problem – the first word in the phrase “Effective Employee Wellness Program.”

There are many approaches to employee wellness.  Common entry level approaches include holding an internal “biggest loser”-like contest or providing paid memberships at the local health club. 

The 21st Century Cures Act was signed into law on December 13, 2016 by then President Obama. The bulk of the Cures Act covers areas such as medical research and drug and device approvals. This new law also revokes a ban in effect since 2014 on small employer pre-tax funding of individual health insurance premiums. Beginning in 2017, this new act will allow small employers to create “Qualified Small Employer Health Reimbursement Arrangements” or “QSEHRAs.”