Healthcare
January 31, 2024
Celebrate American Heart Month With These Healthy Lifestyle Tips
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...
January 17, 2024
Mitigating Mental Health-Related EPLI Claims
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...
January 12, 2024
Driving Down Health Cost Spend in 2024
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...
December 18, 2023
4 Key Trends Driving Employer Health Care Costs in 2024
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...
December 5, 2023
High Health Care Costs Are Impacting Americans’ Physical and Mental Health
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...
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...