Health Benefits Paramount for Workers When Choosing an Employer
Employers contemplating cutting back on medical benefits might want to mull this: A new survey shows that workers place an
extremely high value on health care coverage.
In fact, according to a survey of 1,200 adults sponsored by the Center for State and Local Government Excellence, 84 percent of the respondents said that health insurance has become a
“very important” characteristic when choosing a new job.
In fact, medical insurance outranked all other 14 benefits and offerings in the survey. Remarkably, pay ranked 10th on the survey—right below “being creative and intellectually stimulated.”
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Health Benefits.
Employees Take Advantage Of Wellness Resources - When They're Available
Only one in seven workers have access to educational wellness tools and fitness center discounts, reports
the Principal Financial Well-Being Index.
Nearly half (45%) of employees indicate that they were “somewhat” or “very” interested in new health plan offerings that included a wellness component, while 23% said they were neither interested or uninterested. However, just 14% of employers offered educational tools or resources, 14% offered fitness center discounts and 11% provided their workers with worksite access to a fitness center.
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Wellness Tools.
Employers can see guaranteed ROI from onsite health clinics
Jeff Sholvin, vice president of benefits for Harrah's Entertainment, which has five onsite clinics across their campuses, marvels at how the clinics have helped control costs, keeping the company's annual inflation hovering around 3%. "I can take that to the bank," he says. "You talk about predictability - that's what the clinics provide to me." It's not just gamers who are trying to cash in, either. A recent session on onsite clinics at the National Business Group on Health's annual Health and Productivity Conference had representatives from Costco, Intel and Kellogg trying to figure out how onsite clinics could best work for them.
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Onsite Clinics.
Time For A Checkup?
Small-business owners who concluded a few years ago they couldn't afford health insurance for their workers may want to take another look.
Insurers are offering more varied plans that include less-expensive options. Nonprofit groups and legislators have paved the way for small companies to band together in purchasing cooperatives to get lower rates. A handful of states now offer subsidies and credits to small businesses that offer health insurance -- and others have begun levying fines on those that don't.
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Checkup.
Employees Offer Outlook On The Job Market And Benefits
New research reveals Americans are still confident about their job security and rank health insurance as a key factor for choosing an employer.
Nearly 85% of U.S. workers place health care coverage as the top benefit that influences accepting a job offer, while 82% rank job security and clear workplace policies and procedures, reports the Center for State and Local Government Excellence.
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Employee Benefits.
Workplace Is Perfect For Aligning Wellness With '08 Resolutions
Americans like to make New Year’s resolutions, hoping to lose weight or quit smoking.
For employers, January is the perfect time to revive communication programs on wellness initiatives.
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Wellness Initiatives.
Health Costs Drop When Patients Shop
Relatively few patients talk to their doctors about costs or ask for a discount, despite their concerns about health care costs, according to a new survey.
The survey by HealthMarkets Inc., North Richland Hills, Texas, shows that of those who did ask for a lower rate from their doctor, 55% were able to reduce their bill.
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Reducing Bills.
Calculator Estimates Cost Of Employee Health Problems
Many of today’s corporate executives want more than promises that wellness and preventive health-care programs will lower medical insurance premiums and other costs related to workplace illnesses. C-suite executives want hard data, say corporate health experts touting a new tool that helps make clearer the connection between wellness and savings.
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Blueprint for Health.
More Health Plans Strategically Manage Diabetes
Evidence is growing that effective management of diabetes can reduce complications and health care costs, while boosting employee productivity, reports the National Business Coalition on Health, which recently released a study on health plans and diabetes performance.
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Diabetes
