Posts Tagged ‘Concerns’

Health Promotion : Insurance Broker Concerns.

Thursday, September 30th, 2010

Shopping for health plans through a broker is a fact of life for the vast majority of companies. But how well is your broker meeting your needs?

And how can you work together better to minimize costs while getting maximum bang for your organization’s benefits buck?

What’s New in Benefits and Compensation conducted an exclusive survey of 195 subscribers to find out how they view their company’s relationship with their brokers. Here is what they said –

Half see room for improvement

The good news –  Almost half of your colleagues rate their relationship with their current broker as “excellent.” But that means the other half see some room for improvement.

Thirty-nine percent of respondents rated their broker relationship as satisfactory and said they were at least “reasonably happy.” the remaining 11 percent noted “unpleasant surprises” while 4 percent are actively considering a switch.

Tools for making buying decisions

Of course, the No. 1 reason any organization works through a broker is to find the best deals on health benefits. But many of your coworkers pointed to several areas where their brokers could help make their lives a little easier.

First and foremost, your colleagues say they’d love for their brokers to provide user-friendly – but thorough – return on investment data they are able to use to benchmark different plans.

It’s worth discussing with your broker how much arm-twisting the broker can do with medical plan carriers to get key data in your hands. Two specific areas of data benefits pros say they’d like help from brokers –

• obtaining and sharing claims cost data to compare to premiums, and

• benchmarking your typical plan costs against those of similar-sized firms in the region.

Unfortunately, claims cost data is often hard to pry loose from insurers, at least for smaller businesss’ plans.

Reason –  Without this data, it’s tougher to judge if your premium rate adjustment at renewal time is fair. Fewer than half of respondents (46.3%) say they’ve ever discussed such information with their brokers.

Obtaining benchmarking data on similar-sized plans assists you see how comparably your costs and plan designs stack up in your area. Roughly 43 percent of respondents say they’re armed with at least some of this info when it comes time to decide whether to stay with the existing plan.

Earlier renewals

It’s worth talking with your broker about ways to push for the earliest possible renewals – and strategies for making sure your carrier doesn’t hit you with any unpleasant surprises.

One notorious game insurance corporations play with companys’ plans is to wait until the last moment to reveal the new premiums at renewal. That way, there’s less time for negotiation – or to shop around with the insurer’s competitors.

About 28% of respondents report getting their renewals about 30 days before the rate kicks in. Different brokers use different benchmarks for securing renewals. A minority of respondents (19.5%) have seen them as early as 90 days ahead.

Taking work off HR/Benefits’ plate

The benefits brokerage marketplace is highly competitive. Some brokers attempt to set themselves apart by offering customers so-called value-added services.

Among your peers, the most popular services are those which relieve the company’s HR/ benefits manager of time-consuming tasks. Some examples –

• investigating  plan documents

• auditing (and, if needed, reconciling) carrier bills for errors

• monitoring plans for compliance (HIPAA, COBRA, etc.)

• offering tech support for a benefits intranet and/or employee self-service software, and/or

• assisting with worker education.

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Health Promotion : Workplace Exercise Programs – Safety Concerns

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010

Make safety a key concern when planning exercise in your workplace.  An accident or injury will not “sell” the program and may end up costing the employer. This section will help you take the necessary steps to avoid an accident or injury.

Points to Consider

Using Certified Experts

Hire professionally certified instructors to lead fitness classes (whether on or offsite) or to run workplace brown bagger sessions.  It’s also a good idea to ask the instructor for references.

When you hire instructors, make sure that your insurance protects both the instructor and your organization.

Risk Management

Whether we like it or not, liability is an issue these days.

Risk management plans don’t have to be complicated or expensive. for example, part of the plan might require that employees complete fitness appraisals and sign statements accepting the possible risks involved in exercise.

It compensates to be prepared. Safety and emergency policies and procedures reduce the risk of loss both to individuals and to your organization.

Ask employees to sign a waiver when participating in both onsite and offsite activities. for liability reasons, employees must understand the risks involved in participating in the activity and understand that they’re waiving their right to sue.

The employee should not be asked to sign the waiver just before the activity. the waiver might  be invalid when workers claim that they didn’t fully understand the risks.

Other Safety Tips

Here is a list of some other safety tips to keep in mindwhen planning physical activity.

Look at the environment where employees are active –

• Sidewalks should be clear of ice and snow, away from falling debris or snow, and have obviously marked curbs and safe crosswalks.

• Stairwells must be well-lit and in good condition and have handrails and safety features, so that employees are not locked out of floors.

• Fitness facilities should have proper flooring, good ventilation, and access to water and an emergency telephone.

Offer medical testing for staff members participating in activities –

• PAR-Q

• PAR-MEDX for Pregnancy

Below are some other important safety factors –

• First-aid kit and automated external defibrillator on site.

• Emergency Action Plan (EAP) in place and practised.

• Commercial grade fitness equipment (not donated, “hand me down” equipment).

• Documented equipment inspection and maintenance schedule.

• Orientation of equipment and programs done by certified professional with a exercise background.