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BENEFITS AND WORKERS' COMP
A Master Act of Coordination
If the logistics of mounting Cirque du Soleil's signature big tent productions seem daunting, so is the behind-the-scenes maneuvering to keep entertainers and other employees properly insured and protected. That task continues to grow as the privately held Montreal entertainment enterprise adds to its eight touring troupes, five resident shows and related projects.
Read more about Cirque du Soleil's benefits management.
Also:
Running Away With the Circus
Cirque du Soleil's Balancing Act
1997 Global Outlook Optimas Award Profile: Cirque du Soleil
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HEALTH BENEFITS
The Revived Debate on Managed Competition
A one-time supporter like Hillary Rodham Clinton doesn't promote managed competition anymore, but there are employers who are standing by their plans.
Read more about managed competition.
Also:
Business Group Seeks an End to Employer-Based Health Coverage
Stuck in the Waiting Room
Controlling Costs With Competition
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COMMENTARY—HEALTH CARE COSTS
Smoking May Be Hazardous to Your Bottom
Line
The coughing, the cost, the cancer. Smoking is a health problem, but should it be an employer's problem? The answer is straightforward: Employers who pay for smoking cessation programs will see savings on other—much higher—costs of employee health care.
Read more about the high cost of employing smokers. |
NEWS
AND EVENTS
Quick Takes
No Interest: Sick employees hurt productivity, but employers are not responsible for making them healthy, an industry study shows.
Click
here to read more.
Good and Bad News: Rising health care costs are changing the health care habits of Americans, for better and for worse.
Click
here to read more.
Kid Stuff: In the first program of its kind in the nation, IBM employees will receive $150 in cash for enrolling their children in wellness programs.
Click
here to read more.
Saving struggles Even with programs that automatically enroll employees in 401(k) retirement plans, employees are still struggling to save for retirement.
Click
here to read more.
Fee Suit: Citigroup breached its fiduciary duty when it invested employee 401(k) money with company subsidiaries and affiliates that generated revenues for Citigroup at greater cost to investors, a lawsuit alleges.
Click here to read more. |
DISCUSSION
Vacation & Travel Combined
Posted in the Benefits
& Compensation Forum:
A reader writes: "I am an exempt manager at a small firm in California. A fellow employee was recently denied taking three days' vacation after a business trip, with the company citing they would be totally responsible for the employee during this vacation. The vacation would have started on a Saturday and continued through Wednesday. I cannot find any state or federal rule or regulation that verifies the company would be legally responsible and that they can deny vacation."
Join the discussion. |
METRICS
Reaction to Employer-Sponsored Wellness Programs
(Among Those Employed)
Among those employed full or part time, 82 percent feel positive
about employer-sponsored wellness programs:
Comfort With Specific Wellness Programs
(Among Those Employed)
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Extremely
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Very
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Somewhat
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Not
too/
Not at all
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| Lower-cost
opportunities for health screenings and programs for exercise,
weight loss, stress or smoking cessation |
36%
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25%
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27% |
11%
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| A health plan that
reminds workers when annual checkups, health screenings
or other treatments are due; workers with specific conditions
might also be reminded to take tests or refill prescriptions |
22
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28
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30 |
18
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| A health plan that
offers workers the opportunity to get insurance at reduced
cost; workers who take a physical and have no illnesses
or at-risk behaviors would qualify for a reduction on
their premium; workers with an illness or at-risk behavior
would also qualify if they agreed to take steps to manage
their illness or lower their health risk |
20
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24
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28
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26
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Source:
Employee
Benefit Research Institute and Mathew Greenwald & Associates,
2007 Health Confidence Survey
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