Employers continue to struggle with rising health care costs and providing employees with affordable and quality care options. Unfortunately, employers expect health care costs to increase significantly in 2024. Several industry reports revealed that employers anticipate health care costs to grow between 6.5% and 8.5% in 2024, the largest increase in more than a decade....
Stressed out, overworked, understaffed, burnt out: It almost reads like a prescription side-effects list. But for a good portion of health care workers, these labels are more than that. They’re the lived experience of physicians, nurses and staff who hold lives in their hands every day. Health care workers’ wellbeing cannot be ignored. “We are...
Employers build benefits packages with the best of intentions, but too many options or the wrong ones altogether can frustrate employees and drain company resources. Nearly half of employees said they are confused by parts of their benefits plans in a recent survey by MetLife, while other studies place the number as high as 85%. An overwhelming amount of...
In recent years, the health care industry has been navigating a landscape fraught with volatility. Shifting market demands, supply chain struggles and medical inflation issues have driven many key challenges. In 2024, several additional trends could impact the health care sector. These include labor shortages propelled by demographic shifts and changing skills requirements; technological advancements...
In 1963, the United States designated February as “American Heart Month.” Since then, the medical community has banded together during this annual campaign to raise awareness about heart disease and cardiovascular conditions and provide advice to help Americans reduce their risk of these health issues. How to Keep a Healthy Heart Heart attacks and strokes...
During the past few years, mental health issues such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder have been driving more Americans with Disabilities Act charges, according to data from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). In 2022, around 11% of ADA charges were related to anxiety disorders. This is up from 7.6% five years earlier. PTSD-related charges...
As business leaders begin budgeting and strategizing for 2024, many are faced with balancing two items when it comes to benefits: ensuring low costs and prioritizing employees’ requests to offer better health benefits. With benefits slated as the second largest people expense for businesses, next to payroll, and health care costs across the nation estimated...
Amid ongoing inflation pressures, employees and employers alike can expect their health care costs to increase in 2024. Global professional services firm Aon reported that health care costs for employers will grow by 8.5% in 2024 (to more than $15,000 per employee), nearly double 2023’s figure. Here are four key trends driving employer health care...
More than half of consumers feel stressed when paying their medical bills, and more than 9 in 10 say these payments have impacted their physical and mental health, according to a study from health care payment processing company PayMedix. Unaffordable medical bills, higher deductible health plans and confusing bills have increased physical and mental health...
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...