Employer Strategies

For decades, health care consumers have been told once you have a problem, then you should go to the doctor. But now, as high-deductible health plans become ever more prevalent, employers are encouraging employees to go to the doctor first - before they get sick - and in turn the employer will often cover the visit at 100%.

Most experts are predicting massive consolidation among DC record keepers - with the big push just about to begin, especially with four national record keepers representing more than 100,000 defined contribution plans likely to change ownership in the next few months.

Behavior change may very well be one of the keys to true health care reform. Given the proper market environment, American consumers will respond accordingly and adapt.

Are you pessimistic or are you optimistic about the Supreme Court's June decision to basically uphold all of PPACA? What is your plan in this sea of personal and corporate uncertainty?

Employees know very little about disability coverage. But when they learn about it, they often want the coverage and are willing to pay for it, recent surveys find. The Consumer Federation of America and Unum national survey of 1,200 employees finds that only 13% know "a lot" about disability insurance, and less than half (47%) know what its benefits are.

While President Barack Obama's open support of same-sex marriage hasn't caused any immediate change in federal law, the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston ruled recently that part of the Defense of Marriage Act - which denies federal benefits to same-sex married couples - is unconstitutional and cannot be enforced. Noting that a "Supreme Court review of DOMA is highly likely," however, the 1st Circuit put the ruling on hold.

Traditional job titles are soon to be a thing of the past at Noblis, a nonprofit research organization based in Falls Church, Va. The company - named to the Great Place to Work Institute's 2011 Best Medium Workplaces list - employs about 800 scientists, engineers, researchers and technology experts who work with public and private sector clients in the areas of health care, national security, transportation, energy, and environmental sustainability and telecommunications.

For all employers' focus on curbing obesity statistics through healthy eating and exercise programs, it can be easy to forget that smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. One employer, Nelnet, is remaining vigilant about stamping out smoking among its employee population.

It's important to maintain strong relationships with employee benefit advisers who provide professional services at reasonable fees. However, employers must periodically question why they maintain certain relationships, particularly if fees appear to be higher than usual and/or service has declined. Sometimes a relationship is maintained with a vendor due to a long-term friendship. Other times it's maintained due to the influence of a parent corporation or for other business reasons. In all circumstances, employers should periodically evaluate vendors, fees and services, and ensure that no undue influences exist. For this reason, many employers should consider establishing a formal ERISA fiduciary gift policy.

As employers move past the anxiety and drama over the Supreme Court ruling on health care reform, there's no escaping the fact that steep employee medical benefit costs remain as a serious concern - not only in the United States, but all over the world.