A Valuable Tax Credit for Small Businesses

As the year draws to a close our minds go forward to limiting our tax  exposures. This tax credit for healthcare costs is a great way for small businesses to do just that. Click on the link to read more about this valuable credit for small businesses.

http://www.uhc.com/united_for_reform_resource_center/health_reform_provisions/small_business_tax_credit.htm

Posted in Benefits

Conquering the Challenges of a Wellness Program

Today’s business environment is challenging and employers need all the help they can get to remain competitive and profitable. Employers are looking for ways to cut costs, and health care costs are often an area to find savings for most businesses. Wellness research is still in the infancy stages, but the growing body of evidence seems to indicate the savings from a wellness program come not only from containing direct medical costs, but an increase in productivity, reduced absenteeism, lower turnover and recruiting cost and improved employee morale. When implementing a health and wellness program many employers face some challenges that are fairly easy to overcome.

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Posted in Benefits, Blog, Commercial, Human Resources, Wellness | Tagged  emplyee retention, healthy employees, wellness

Updated NLRB Requirement

The NLRB issued a notice October 5, 2011 advising that they are delaying the requirements of most employers to display an 11 x 17 poster informing employees of their right to form a union. The original deadline for employers was November 14th, and the new deadline is January 31, 2012. As the reason for the delay, the NLRB cited confusion from companies who were unsure if they were subject to NLRB jurisdiction, explaining that a number of primarily small to medium sized companies were unaware if they were covered under the ruling. As a result, the NLRB has indicated they plan to have additional outreach and educational programs to help companies better understand the NLRB, their role and the poster.

As previously mentioned, there is still litigation pending which is seeking to block this ruling overall. Should additional changes or updates occur between now and January 31st, we will update you accordingly.

Posted in Blog, Human Resources, Legislative Alerts

Wellness and Employee Retention

Increasing evidence supports the need for employee wellness programs – lower health care costs, increased productivity, and reduced absenteeism. But what about employee retention rates? Retention rates vary greatly from company to company. The companies with the highest retention rates have one common denominator – happy employees!

The extent to which an employee is happy and comfortable with his or her job is the single best determining factor in high retention rates. Employee turnover is expensive and employers are always looking for ways to keep employees at their organization for longer periods of time, but many overlook the impact of a wellness program on happy and healthy employees.
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Posted in Benefits, Blog, Commercial, Wellness | Tagged  employee retention, wellness

New NLRB Requirement

A new NLRB requirement….. By now, many of you may have heard about a recent ruling from the NLRB (National Labor Relations Board) requiring most private-sector employers to notify employees of their rights under the National Labor Relations Act. Many employers are calling this the “How To Form a Union” poster, as both union AND non-union employers are required to post the document. Currently there is pending litigation attempting to stop this rule from going into effect; however unless the courts rule to the contrary, employers should have the required notice ready for posting in appropriate sites on November 14, 2011 – when the final rule takes effect.
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Posted in Human Resources, Legislative Alerts

Where Are We With Healthcare Reform?

A number of legal challenges have been filed in various federal courts since the health care reform law was passed in March 2010. While some of the challenges have been decided based on procedural grounds, the main substantive controversy has been whether Congress had the constitutional authority to pass the individual mandate under health care reform. Beginning in 2014, the individual mandate generally requires individuals to purchase health insurance or pay a penalty. The individual mandate is a key component of the health care reform law. Health care policy experts have suggested that, without the individual mandate, health care reform’s other insurance market reforms would be difficult to implement. Read More »

Posted in Benefits

What is The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act?

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is a federal statute that was signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010. This act along with the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (signed into law on March 30, 2010) make up the health care reform of 2010. Together the laws focus on reform of the private health insurance market, providing better coverage for those with pre-existing conditions, making healthcare more affordable for those that financially qualify, improving prescription drug coverage in Medicare and extending the life of the Medicare by approximately 12 years. Read More »

Posted in Benefits, Legislative Alerts | Tagged  Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, health care reform of 2010, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, PPACA

Top Risks for the Year

With improving unemployment statistics and a widespread belief that the U.S. GDP will grow 2 percent in 2011, economic recovery seems to be fully underway. Nonetheless, a recent risk management survey at RIMS in Vancouver revealed that economic slowdown remains the top risk executives see for their organizations.

Besides the economy, other risks remain top of mind. In recent years, technology risk has been consistently present, while other risks, such as reputation risk, have appeared with increasing frequency. The top ten risks identified were: Read More »

Posted in Commercial | Tagged  employee stress management, health care costs

Why Wellness?

Wellness programs are getting a lot of attention these days and with good reason! The cost of healthcare has been on the rise for quite some time now and is a major challenge for many businesses today. Thanks to America’s addiction to fast food, smoking and television most businesses are taking a battering to their bottom line and corporate wellness is taking on a greater role. Read More »

Posted in Wellness