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10 self-funding considerations

Sixty percent of workers covered by group health insurance are in a self-funded plan, according to statistics from the Kaiser Family Foundation. It’s a percentage that has gradually increased: The percentage of covered workers in a plan that is completely or partially self-funded has grown from 49% in 2000 to 54% in 2005. Shaun Snyder, a health care analyst for a major insurance carrier, outlines 10 things employers should consider before heading down the path to self-insurance. [Images: Shutterstock]

Comparing cost of care

Wildly different prices for the same medical procedures are reported across the nation: a knee MRI in Seattle can cost anywhere from $460 to $2,470; a hip replacement in New York runs $13,137 at Coney Island Hospital, or $38,588 at Lenox Hill. And those numbers don’t even take into account differences in quality of care. This month, UnitedHealthcare expanded the availability of its myHealthcare Cost Estimator to nearly all of its employer-sponsored health care plans. The tool, which is free to employers and plan participants, allows for comparison shopping of health care services online and through the Health4Me app. [Image: Shutterstock]

4 ways to lose a sale — and how to fix it

More than 70% of sales leads are lost because contact isn't made quickly enough, according to one study. But Brandon Stuerke, president of Advisors Edge Marketing, a specialist in marketing strategy and automation for financial advisers and other professionals, points out there are other ways to lose out on sales opportunities. Stuerke, a former financial adviser, shares four ways professionals commonly lose sales leads and how to fix them. [images: Thinkstock]

Benefits Think Benefits education disconnect troubling

In a recent survey, three-quarters of employees say they think their employer will educate them about changes to their health care coverage as a result of health care reform, yet only 13% of employers say educating employees about reform is important to their organization. This educational disconnect is troubling.

Benefits Think 2 tips to manage health plan data overload

You may have binders stuffed with reports from your health plan, and still be starving for useful information. Guest blogger Linda K. Riddell offers two ways to cut the clutter and beef up your insights: Slow down the frequency of reports, and make sure reports have the right level of detail.

6 tips for managing the cost of cancer care

By 2030, we will see 2.3 million new cancer cases in the United States, a 45% increase over 2010, according to the American Cancer Society. As the number of new cancer cases has increased, so too has cancer survivorship. Advances in cancer research and technology have brought life-saving breakthroughs in the fight against cancer, but the rapidly evolving science has also resulted in greater cost as patients take advantage of new diagnostic tools and procedures. Optum executives offer 6 employer strategies for managing the high cost of cancer care, based on a recent Optum white paper. [Images: Shutterstock]

8 components of a health care exchange

As an employer, there’s a lot you need to know in order to decide whether or not to offer health care through a health insurance exchange. But before you make a decision, Karen McLeese, J.D., vice president of employee benefit regulatory affairs for CBIZ Benefits & Insurance Services, details the general functions of all exchanges, including state-based, federal, or state/federal partnerships. Here are the eight primary features of exchanges. [Images: Shutterstock]

Forecasting HR’s future (Part Two)

Buck Consultants’ talent and HR solutions’ Scot Marcotte, managing director, Chicago; Barry Hall, principal and innovation leader, Boston; and Steve Coco, principal and northeast region leader, New York, offer their predictions for the human resources world of the future. What will HR look like 20 years from now? [Images: Shutterstock]

5 tips for better introductions

Learn how to turn a referral into a quality introduction with five critical things you should do, according to Bill Cates. Bill Cates is this author of several books including Get More Referrals Now! Cates blogs for Financial Planning, a SourceMedia publication.

Forecasting HR’s future (Part One)

Benefits managers and human resources professionals have, in many cases, been so frantically busy of late that they might not be thinking beyond 2014, or Oct. 1, or maybe even next week. But what will personnel management look like 10 or 20 years from now? How will the role of HR change? [Images: Shutterstock]

Top 10 causes of disability

For the past 12 years, Unum reports, the leading cause of its long-term disability claims is cancer. “Most people who have been diagnosed with cancer are very motivated to get back to work,” says Kristin Tugman, senior director of health and productivity at Unum. “It helps create a sense of normalcy and control at a time when people often feel understandably overwhelmed.” Cancer is also Unum’s No. 6 cause of short-term disability. May is Disability Awareness Month. Here are the top five LTD and STD causes according to 2012 claims data from Unum. [Images: Shutterstock]

Who calls EAP resource lines for assistance and why

Employees seek advice from EAP/work-life resource hot lines for myriad reasons ranging from professional and financial concerns to help with mental health issues and substance abuse problems. To give employers a better understanding of the issues their employees face and who is likeliest to make use of employee assistance program benefits, ComPsych Corporation, which fields millions of calls annually, recently analyzed gender, age and industry differences in millions of EAP/work-life calls over a 12-month period.

Benefits Think Why ‘lousy’ 401(k)s are a good thing

Whether you agree with The Retirement Gamble's narrative or not, the program should be required viewing for employees if for the simple reason that it’s a well-told (albeit one-sided) story that will get them (hopefully) asking questions about their 401(k) plans. And isn’t that a good thing in the long run?

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