Poll Shows Benefits Trump Cash

New Web Site Helps

Employers Combat The

Obesity

Epidemic

July 20, 2009<= /span>

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Senate Committee Passes H= ealth Reform Bill

The Senate Health, Educat= ion, Labor and Pensions Committee approved a health reform bill on Wednesda= y that would widely expand coverage for Americans and require employers to = ‘play or pay’ for coverage for their employees.

Republicans contended tha= t the bill would only add to the federal deficit and limit the current opti= ons available to those already insured. The committee voted 13 to 10, along= strict party lines, to approve the bill.

Sen. Christopher J. Dodd = (D-Conn.), the chairman of the committee in Sen. Ted Kennedy’s (D-Mas= s.) absence, lauded the efforts of the bipartisan committee, adding that Ke= nnedy was “ecstatic about our efforts here.” =

Republican counterparts w= ere less than thrilled, expressing their discomfort at a public plan that w= ould compete with private plans in addition to the installment of an employ= er mandate.

“The bill also incl= udes new taxes and mandates on employers that [the Congressional Budget Off= ice] says will cause higher unemployment and lower wages,” said Sen. = Michael Enzi (R-Wyo.).

“If you like your j= ob, you should be able to keep it. It’s hard for me to believe that w= ith unemployment nearing double digits, Democrats on the HELP Committee wou= ld even consider putting more jobs on the chopping block,” Enzi added= . The bill lays the groundwork for a government takeover of health care, cr= eating a government-run health plan that many Americans would be forced ont= o, and giving Washington bureaucrats the power to ration health care. =

The scathing responses to= the Quality, Affordable Heal= th Coverage for All Americans bill, which is expected = to cost $1 trillion over 10 years and promises to hold significant conseque= nces for employers, has been echoed by many business advocacy groups. =

“The most successfu= l and enduring public policies are those that share broad bipartisan suppor= t. But the proposal [released on Tuesday] in the House of Representatives a= nd the bill approved [on Wednesday] by the Senate Health, Education, Labor = and Pensions Committee, confirm that all hopes now rest with the Senate Fin= ance Committee to produce a health reform measure that can be supported by = everyone with a stake in a reformed health care system,” said America= n Benefits Council President James A. Klein.

A letter signed by 31 org= anizations, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Business Roundtable= and the National Retail Federation, warned on Tuesday that a government he= alth plan option within a health exchange portal, as is included in the Hou= se bill, would kill jobs.

The House measure, America’s Afforda= ble Health Choices Act, resembles its Senate co= unterpart very closely and comes with a hefty price tag as well. The $1.5 t= rillion bill would impinge upon employers not offering coverage to pay a pe= nalty of 8% of workers’ wages and provides an exemption for small bus= inesses.

Similarly, the approved S= enate-committee bill calls for a shared responsibility of employers, requir= ing those companies with more than 25 employees who do not provide qualifyi= ng coverage or who pay less than 60% of their employees’ monthly prem= iums are compelled to pay an annual fee of $750 per uninsured full-time wor= ker and $375 per uninsured part-time employee.

Beginning in 2010, employ= ers with 50 or fewer full-time workers who pay 60% or more of their employe= es’ health insurance premiums would receive tax credits that would su= bsidize coverage, according to the bill.

Another aspect of the bil= l, often overlooked, but of critical significance to employers is the exten= ded coverage for dependent adults up to the age of 26, as would be establis= hed by the Secretary of Health & Human Services.

Senate majority Leader Ha= rry Reid (D-Nev.) said that he hoped to begin floor debates on both bills a= week from Monday, though other officials expect that time table to alter, = reports the Associa= ted Press.

In the House, Democratic = leaders plan to send the measure through committee and toward a full vote b= y month’s end. Even if nothing is consecrated in the House or Senate = before summer recess, it is clear that a renewed sense of urgency has befal= len the Hill.

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Poll Shows Benefits Trump= Cash

There’s no disputing that cash is= king, especially in these turbulent times, but a new national online survey of 3,000 working America= ns suggests that they value their employee benefits even more than greenbac= ks.

What’s more, the survey conducted= by JHA for Sun Life = Financial’s U.S. employee benefits unit, suggests that employers= should not underestimate the value of voluntary benefits or assume employe= es will cut back on supplemental coverage to compensate for rising health i= nsurance costs in this economic climate.

Researchers say they disc= overed “exactly the opposite” and consider voluntary benefits &= #8220;an essential way to motivate employees,” providing compelling a= mmunition for worksite marketers ahead of the upcoming open-enrollment seas= on.

Asked to assume they had = adequate medical insurance, the respondents assigned a numeric value to sev= en benefits on a scale from 0 to 100 points. Dental insurance came out on t= op at 89, followed by vision at 80, 401(k)/retirement plans at 79, life ins= urance at 71, long-term disability at 62, short-term disability at 58, long= -term care insurance at 45 and cash at 33. Just 5% of the respondents assig= ned a value greater than 30 to cash.

“As this study show= s, one of the most significant drivers of benefits enrollment is simply ava= ilability,” says Michael E. Shunney, senior vice president and genera= l manager of Sun Life Financial Employee Benefits Group. “A broad off= ering of benefits is a key component for employers looking to attract and r= etain a talented and productive workforce.”

The fact is that workers = place a high value on benefits even if they have to pay for part or all of = the cost themselves, notes Shunney, who believes the economy appears to be = increasing employees’ appreciation of benefits that protect their fam= ilies from unforeseen risk such as disability or death. <= /p>

The study, entitled, R= 20;What’s Driving Enrollment in Voluntary Benefits Today,” soug= ht to determine which levers have the greatest impact on whether individual= s purchase voluntary benefits through their employer and examine other fact= ors that might drive employees to make changes to their benefits, as well a= s identify how people want to learn about their benefits.

Interestingly enough, mar= riage was the life event most likely to result in employees updating their = benefits (35%), followed closely by the birth or adoption of a child (34%),= becoming a caretaker (29%), divorce (27%), buying a home and saving for an= education (22% apiece), and death (17%).

New Web Site Helps Employ= ers Combat The

Obesity Epidemic

Responding to requests from the employe= r community, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently launch= ed a new Web site titled = LEANWorks!, which offers metrics an= d advice on weight-loss programs in the workplace.

The CDC’s Web site is free and he= lps employers to calculate how much the obesity epidemic is costing them. F= or instance, online visitors can access an obesity c= ost-calculator = that estimates obesity-re= lated health costs based on workforce demographics.

Additionally, the online = program comes equipped with a portal that assists employers in personalizin= g weight-loss programs, such as fitness classes, lunchtime health and educa= tion sessions and other wellness activities.

The CDC hopes the Web sit= e will facilitate employers’ efforts to plan and execute intervention= s to stop obesity before it starts. “CDC has identified science-based= interventions that work to prevent and control obesity. [The online progra= m] provides the tools that employers need to take action,” says Dr. W= illiam Deitz, director of CDC’s division of nutrition, physical activ= ity, and obesity.

Obesity can be a large ri= sk factor for high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disea= ses. The government reports that obese individuals tend to spend an average= of 77% more on medications needed to combat their chronic diseases. <= /o:p>

“Obesity affects mo= re than just health care costs. It also has a significant impact on w= orker productivity because the more chronic diseases employees have, the mo= re likely they are to be absent from work, or less productive if they come = to work sick,” says Dr. Janet Collins, director of CDC’s Nation= al Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. <= /o:p>

Many employers tend not t= o publish outcomes and results on their wellness and diseases programs in s= cientific journals. Consequently, researchers at the CDC personally visited= businesses that had promising obesity prevention and control practices. Employers' tes= timonials on their weight-loss pro= grams are also posted on the new Web site.

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