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Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, all plans must cover certain preventive care services with no member cost-sharing - with an exception for grandfathered plans - as of plan years beginning on or after Sept. 23, 2010.

Even with the virtual touch of social media, one very human element remains: the need for community. We search online and in our neighborhoods for people who share our same interests. No matter where our work or daily activities take us, we return to the community. The community has a strong influence on culture and behavior patterns. If your clients want a successful corporate wellness program, they should open the door to the community outside the workplace walls. The far-reaching benefits of community volunteer work may surprise everyone.

In this post-health care reform environment, benefit advisers - and their employer clients - face a new world order. For instance, with new restrictions on capping lifetime maximum benefits, the burden of managing the potential financial risk posed by even one employee's catastrophic illness looms large.

Several members of Congress from both political parties expressed support for the role of the agent and broker post-health care reform to a crowd of more than 700 at February's National Association of Health Underwriters annual Capitol Conference in Washington, D.C. - including calls for the medical loss ratio provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to be altered.

In case you missed these recent headlines: "Health Care Brokers Fight for Fees" - Washington Post "The Debate Over Brokers' Fees" - New York Times "Brokers Seek to Preserve Role in Health Insurance Marketplace" - Kaiser Health News The stories - and other recent media coverage - focus on efforts underway to push back against PPACA's medical loss ratio rules. At least as far as the popular media is concerned, broker commissions are big news right now.

Like so many successful advisers, Brian Ashe is quick to tell you that relationships are the largest driver of success in the insurance business. "People change companies," Ashe says. "They can be really terrific with numbers; they can be good managers of their offices; they can have the latest equipment. But if you are not a person who believes in and is dedicated to the establishment of relationships, it makes it significantly more difficult to be successful."

Unanswered questions and unknown repercussions abound as regulators continue to flesh out the provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act framework. For employers, it is a frustrating time of uncertainty and confusion.

NEW PHOTOS ADDED! To help empower and encourage EBN readers toward better health, we started 2011 by launching a year-long BeneFIT Success series, which chronicles employers and employees in their individual and organizational wellness triumphs. All articles in the series are available at ebn.benefitnews.com, keywords “benefit success series.” Just as inspiring as the stories, however, are the photos that go with them. This slideshow features shots of our profile subjects along various points in their wellness journeys. Add your employees’ photos to the group by submitting your company’s wellness success story to EBN Editor-in-Chief Kelley M. Butler at kelley.butler@sourcemedia.com.

I don’t often give shout outs to corporations, but in this case I had to make an exception. After raising $1.2 million from getting 23,000 employees to take a health risk assessment, Kaiser Permanente granted the funds to two worthy organizations dedicated to encouraging healthful eating in low-income and/or underserved communities.

Older adults who eat greater amounts of fish end up preserving their bone density better than people who don't eat as much fish, a new study finds.