Benefits Think

The federal definition of marriage — as laid out in the Defense of Marriage Act — and the consequences of the law being challenged in court, potentially can affect how you do your job.

This week, the post “New partnership brings Subway to worksite lunch & learns” contained false information about the intentions of Clique, the supposed wellness vendor behind a program that sent a physician to worksites to provide free wellness information, and the involvement of Subway, which was purported to provide a free meal for the lunch & learn session.

The Small Business Administration and ADP this week launched a new video series that shines a bright spotlight on six companies that began with little more than an idea and an entrepreneurial spirit and now are among well-known brands in their respective industries.

For the first time in almost 10 years, the Department of Labor is reviewing its rules on electronic disclosures in ERISA plans. Help drag DOL into the 21st century by providing your comments on how you use electronic media to provide benefit plan information to participants and beneficiaries.

In just the last week, two professionals — one in the wellness industry, the other a benefits practitioner like yourselves — have told me that starting wellness programs can be cheap, incentives are unnecessary and HRAs are flawed and in fact, can be dangerous for your wellness efforts. Cue the Twilight Zone theme song.

Cue the hallelujah chorus: The Associated Press reports that numbers released today from the Department of Labor show that employers posted 3.1 million open jobs in February, the most since the height of the financial crisis in September 2008.

To help reduce the estimated $400 billion in stress-related health costs and productivity losses, The Oxygen Plan has created a series of simple surveys to show individuals and employers their Stress Number and help them develop an effective stress management program.

Recently, one of EBN’s staff members resigned and moved on to a new job opportunity. I normally don’t take these kinds of staff transitions personally, but this is the first time I’ve lost a coworker who also was my direct report. I wonder if I could have benefited from 360-degree reviews.

An article from amednews.com detailed the complexity facing the Institute of Medicine panel that is charged with recommending to the Health and Human Services Department what should be in the “essential benefits” package that is mandated by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Here in the nation’s capital, there are three things are guaranteed to put DCers on edge: the slightest hint of snow, traffic, and the fits and starts of the federal government. Thus, the mood here this week has been very anxious and uncertain amid the possibility of a government shutdown.