The consulting firm Watson Wyatt Worldwide has identified six healthcare benefits trends that workers should expect to see during this year's open enrollment season.
The Senate has unanimously approved legislation that would require parity when group health plans provide benefits for both phsyical health and mental health.
Jacob Hacker, who presented a keynote address Monday at the 20th Annual Benefits Management Forum & Expo, explained to his audience that he'd been up until the early hours of the morning consulting with Hillary Clinton's campaign team in regards to the health care plan she planned to unveil later that same day. Hacker, a Professor of Political Science at Yale University, and the author of the book "The Great Risk Shift," has a vision for the future of health care of his own.
Premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance rose in 2007 at the slowest rate since 1999, but still higher than the increase in workers' wages or the overall inflation rate, according to a survey released by the Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research and Educational Trust.
Employees who receive financial incentives for losing weight shed more pounds than those who receive none, according to a study by researchers at RTI International and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The number of people without health insurance coverage rose from 44.8 million (15.3 percent) in 2005 to 47 million (15.8 percent) in 2006, according to a report by the Census Bureau.
Fewer than half of workers are comfortable explaining basic healthcare terms like co-pay and deductible to a friend or co-worker, according to a survey by Watson Wyatt, a consulting firm.
Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR) have proposed legislation that would create a tax credit for employers that offer wellness programs.
The deadline for all Massachusetts residents age 18 and over to have health insurance is July 1. In addition, all employers with 11 or more full-time employees in Massachusetts must make a "fair and reasonable" contribution toward an employee health plan by that date.
