| VOLUME 3 | ISSUE 1 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011 | http://www.rmpllc.biz |
It's January, and many of you've recently completed your renewal of health benefits for 2011. In this issue, we suggest some critical steps to take in the next few months to ensure that you're on solid footing for 2012. Cost is important, for example, but you should also talk to your employees to find out how well your current plan is working for them. Plus, learn what's working for other employers through your local chamber of commerce or associations, such as the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB). Here, we tell you about our group in the Philadelphia area and invite you to join. It can't hurt, and it may help.| David Edman Managing Partner Risk Management Partners LLC |
Survey Your Employees — The First Step to Health Benefit Savings in 2011
A good place to start the process of gaining control over health benefit costs is to conduct an employee satisfaction survey regarding healthcare and other benefits. And now is the time to begin that process. Here we provide some important advice about how to get started on the road to health benefit savings. Read more.HSA Update
As you likely know, Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are designed to help individuals save for future qualified medical and retiree health expenses on a tax-free basis. Health Savings Accounts are coupled with High-Deductible Health Plans (HDHP), which offer lower premiums in exchange for higher annual deductibles compared to traditional health plans.There are no changes in HSA contribution limits in 2011, with annual contribution limits remaining at $3,050 for individuals and $6,150 for families. There are some other important changes, however, resulting from Obamacare: You can no longer use your HSA funds to pay for over-the-counter (OTC) medications without a doctor's prescription, and penalties for using funds for other than "eligible medical expenses" increase from 10% to 20%. Click here to learn more.
Voluntary Benefits Help Your Employees and Improve Your Company's Image
Voluntary benefits are those offered by the employer but paid for by the employee with pre-tax dollars. This approach is playing an increasingly important role in employers' benefits strategy, expanding the reach of a company's benefits budget and helping employees to affordably fill gaps in their insurance coverage. And employees like it. Read more.Introducing the NFIB (and What It Can Do for You)
The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) calls itself the "Voice of Small Business." With offices in all 50 state capitals and in Washington, DC, the NFIB will tackle any and all business issues on your behalf, including the economy, energy, taxes, labor relations, government regulation, and healthcare. In addition, the NFIB is the only outside organization to join with over 20 state attorneys general in challenging the constitutionality of the individual mandate to purchase health insurance as part of Obamacare. This month, the NFIB President and CEO Dan Danner offered his opinions on "The Real Impact of the Healthcare Law."The NFIB Philadelphia Area Action Council (AAC) brings together NFIB members in southeastern Pennsylvania to help improve the business climate in which business owners operate. Rather than tackling issues and problems as individual business owners, we work together to solve problems so we're not out there on our own. Join us at for our next breakfast meeting at 7:30 a.m. on Friday, February 4, 2011, at the Country Squire Diner in Broomall. Click here for details and to register.
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| 8 Steps to Healthy Bones. It's winter, and the chances of falling on ice increase. One slip or fall can change your life. A hip fracture, for example, can lead to chronic pain and a loss of mobility with a greater risk for respiratory complications. Keep your bones strong with physical activity, and supplement your diet with vitamin D and calcium. Cigarettes and alcohol in excess increase bone loss. Developing good habits now can impact your chances for maintaining strong bones now and later. Read more. | ||
About RMP
RMP draws on more than three decades of experience inside the healthcare industry, using a risk-management approach to create smarter purchasers and consumers of healthcare — exposing wasted spending and helping clients get consistent maximum value for their health-care dollar.
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David Edman, Managing Partner
175 Strafford Avenue, Wayne, PA 19087
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http://www.rmpllc.biz
© 2011 Risk Management Partners LLC. All Rights Reserved. This newsletter produced by FulcrumTech, LLC.