Healthcare
November 1, 2023
More Individuals Downgrading Insurance Plans Due to Rising Health Care Costs
The most recent Nationwide Retirement Institute Health Care Costs in Retirement survey found that many Americans are not confident in their ability to pay health care costs as they age. According to the survey, over half of respondents said they’d be unable to pay off an unexpected $5,000 health care expense, and a similar number...
July 13, 2023
Health Care Costs Projected to Grow 7% in 2024
Health care costs are expected to grow 7% in 2024 due to rising pharmaceutical expenses driven by specialty drugs and insurers increasing rates in response to inflation, according to an annual report from professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). This trend is higher than 2022’s and 2023’s projected medical cost rates, which were 5.5% and 6%,...
May 24, 2023
DOL Promotes Mental Health at Work Initiative
Amid Mental Health Awareness Month, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) launched its Mental Health at Work initiative to address mental health within the workplace and introduce resources for employees and employers alike. The DOL’s initiative aims to advance mental wellness in the workplace through the following strategies: The DOL explains that high-quality jobs provide safe workplaces,...
May 8, 2023
Supporting Employees During Mental Health Awareness Month and Beyond
Employee mental health has become a workplace topic of increased focus and awareness in recent years. An employee’s mental health includes how they think, feel and act, and their emotional and social well-being. While mental health includes mental illness, these two concepts aren’t interchangeable. For example, an employee can go through a period of poor...
May 2, 2023
Spring Cleaning in the Workplace for Better Mental Health
While springtime is often associated with cleaning and resetting one’s personal space, these principles can be applied to the workplace, too — and that doesn’t just mean reorganizing your desk. According to Kaiser Family Foundation, symptoms of depression and anxiety have continued to increase three years into the pandemic. In fact, 90% of U.S. adults believe the...
April 11, 2023
Rising Workers’ Compensation Expenses Linked to Facility Services Costs
A report from the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) examining countrywide medical cost trends revealed that health care facility services costs accounted for 40% of workers’ compensation expenses during 2021 and increased by an average of 3% throughout the past decade. Although specific trends varied by facility type, the report found that the two...
March 2, 2023
Americans Spend Less Than One Hour on Health Plan Options During Open Enrollment
The latest Consumer Engagement in Health Care Survey (CEHCS) revealed that although many Americans are satisfied with the open enrollment process overall, they are not looking closely at their health plan options when making selections. Since 2005, the survey has been jointly conducted by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) and Greenwald Research to provide...
February 27, 2023
How Telemedicine Gives You the Most Out of Health Care Visits
Telemedicine—the delivery of health care from a distance using technology—has become increasingly popular following the COVID-19 pandemic. Telemedicine allows people to seek basic primary care and other services without having to leave their homes, making it a convenient, efficient and often less expensive way to receive health care. This article explains how telemedicine can give...
February 23, 2023
Report: Managers Impact Employee Mental Health More Than Doctors, Therapists
A new report from The Workforce Institute at UKG revealed that managers impact employee mental health more than doctors and therapists. The study conducted for the report surveyed 3,400 people in 10 countries, including the United States, to explore mental health in and outside work. Not surprisingly, work impacts employee mental health, and organizational leaders...
February 16, 2023
Determining Whether to Offer Multiple Health Plan Options
Alongside compensation, health care coverage is often seen as one of the most important benefits a job can offer. And the larger the variety of options available to employees, the more likely they are to find an option that best suits their needs. This is good for employers because employees are more likely to stay...