EBN’s top 10 blogs of 2016
10. 1094 and 1095 reporting: The good, the bad and the ugly
Excerpt: “Most employers entered the reporting period vastly unaware of the requirements. They had not established measurement periods and were not tracking variable hour employees’ hours or properly assessing the affordability of their offered plans.”
9. Why employers should ditch ‘biggest loser’ contests
Excerpt: “To call corporate crash-dieting contests a joke would be an insult to jokes. It’s not just that these contests don’t work. It’s that you may be harming your employees — and possibly setting yourself up for a career-ending lawsuit.”
8. Top 3 trends in the benefits industry this year (so far)
Excerpt: “Telemedicine has made quite a splash in the market and there has been widespread adoption from plan sponsors and insurance carriers alike. Whether it’s Anthem’s Live Health Online, United Healthcare’s Virtual Visits or third-party providers such as MeMed or Teladoc, telemedicine is widespread and growing in popularity.”
7. Mindfulness training poised to take off as new employee benefit
Excerpt: “Mindfulness is thought to exert its benefits primarily through improved attention. Experiments have shown that those who practice mindfulness are less distractible, and better able to concentrate on what is important, while ignoring what is not.”
6. Why employer-sponsored weight loss programs often deliver disappointing results
Excerpt: “Employers have been trying to do their part for years by making weight-loss programs available to overweight and obese employees, yet for most, obesity remains. That’s partly because traditional weight loss programs have had limited toolsets at their disposal, leaving them hamstrung as to what they can actually achieve.”
5. Who are the most stressed workers in the American workforce?
Excerpt: “Employers are in a challenging position when it comes to effectively handling stress experienced by their employees. They require a workforce that performs at a high level, yet the challenges of poor financial education and decisions produce stress that is distracting and directly affects employee performance. Employers can directly increase their bottom line through the provision of financial education and assistance programs for their employees.”
4. 5 strategies to cut healthcare costs without cutting benefits
Excerpt: “There is no single culprit in the battle against rising healthcare costs; rather, there are many drivers contributing to the increase. Soaring prices for medical services, new costly prescription drugs and medical technologies, paying for volume over value, unhealthy lifestyles and a lack of transparency concerning prices and quality are all factors contributing to the spike in premiums.”
3. Has the single-payer era arrived?
Excerpt: “Looking into my crystal ball, I see lots of blue. Between Anthem and the non-profit BCBS world, we will end up with a single-payer system. My guest was not happy with this, either. We have eliminated competition, and without competition we will not have competitive pricing. Nevermind he is 100% behind a single-payer system. How much competition do we have with a single-payer system?”
2. 9 FAQs about the DOL’s overtime rule
Excerpt: “The test for exempt employees is based on their duties and salaries; did the final rule change both? No. The final rule did not make any changes to the duties tests for any exemption.”
1. Q&A: EaseCentral’s founders open up about their own company’s benefits
Excerpt: “Having a larger vision and a mission beyond just revenue is critical for attracting great talent. People have choices and the most ambitious people want more than just a paycheck. Offering an environment in which everyone can grow both professionally and personally will help every company grow.”