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HEALTH CARE
TO GO
The Return of the House Call
Rather than have employees misuse
emergency rooms for minor ailments, Microsoft and some other
employers are beginning to contract with providers that
can deliver health care to employees via the old-fashioned
house call. Technology makes it easy to transport a doctor’s
tools of the trade, visits are unhurried, and the cost is
far less than an ER visit.
Also:
Medical Tourism: A Ticket to Lower Health Care Costs
Spending to Save on Diabetes
Firms Try Wean Employees From Brand-Name Drugs
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Spending to Save on Diabetes
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RETIREMENT
BENEFITS
With 401(k) Fees, Employers Better Get
Ahead ... or Fall Behind
As class-action lawsuits and regulatory
scrutiny heat up around 401(k) fees, employers need to figure
out what they are paying and why they are paying it.
Read more about scrutiny of 401(k) fees. |
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401(K) FEES
Commentary: What’s a Plan Sponsor to
Do?
401(k) fees are not an easy issue,
but there are many options available to employers that they
might not be considering.
Read more about employers’ options on 401(k) fees. |
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NEWS AND EVENTS
Quick Takes
Start Saving Sooner: Individuals
who start saving for retirement after the age of 45 have
to save at a rate that is nearly twice as aggressive as
individuals who begin saving at the age of 35, according
to the National Savings Rate Guidelines study.
Click
here to read more.
Stopping Sick Days: European companies are wrestling
with how to get their employees to take fewer sick days,
according to a recent Mercer Human Resource Consulting survey.
Click
here to read more.
Consumer Plans and Gender: The authors of a study
say women will end up having to pay more for their health
care than men because they have a greater need for more
routine care, such as Pap tests, birth control pills and
routine exams.
Click
here to read more.
No Account: Just because some employees make more
money than others doesn't mean they are contributing more
to their company 401(k) plans, according to a recent study
by Watson Wyatt Worldwide.
Click
here to read more.
Heavy Workers, Heavy Cost: Obese workers have twice
the rate of workers’ compensation claims as their thin co-workers,
according to a study published in April in the Archives
of Internal Medicine.
Click
here to read more. |
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DISCUSSION
Mandatory HRAs and Annual Physicals
to Enroll in Self-Funded Health Plan
Posted in the
Benefits & Compensation Forum:
A member writes: "“We are considering requiring all employees
and spouses to complete health risk assessments, get annual
physicals with blood tests and regularly correspond with
nurse practitioners in order to enroll and remain enrolled
in our self-funded health care plan, all at no cost to the
employees. … Does anybody have any experience implementing
such a policy or know of anyone who is doing so? I am aware
of the ERISA, HIPAA and ADA issues that such a policy would
raise, but I am not convinced that the policy would violate
any of these laws provided we require the same thing of
all employees, we do not make eligibility conditional on
health status, and we set it up so that we will not learn
about our employees’ health status other than in the aggregate.
I will appreciate any insight you can provide."
Join the discussion. |
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METRICS
BENEFIT CHANGES
Percentage of employers citing forces
driving shape and direction of benefits programs, 2007
| Financial
pressures |
29% |
| Need to manage
from total labor cost perspective |
29 |
| External market
pressures |
46 |
| Future
workforce planning needs |
71 |
| Current
workforce/talent objectives |
73 |
| Note:
Survey of 140 HR and benefit managers. |
| Source:
Towers Perrin
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Paid Leave
Employer costs per hour worked for paid leave, private industry, by major occupational group, December 2006
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Cost per hour worked
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All workers |
$1.76 |
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Service |
.58 |
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Sales & Office |
1.30 |
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Production/transportation/material moving |
1.36 |
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Natural resoruces/construction/maintenance |
1.42 |
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Management/professional |
3.87 |
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Source:
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics |
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