Health plans - info for employees (BenefitsLink.com)Headlines re Health plans - info for employees, gathered by BenefitsLink.comListening to Consumers: Values-Focused Health Benefits and Education (PDF)- (Found June 19, 2008 ) 24 pages. Excerpt: "How can employers educate their workers about health coverage Is there a payback Since the vast majority of Americans who have health coverage obtain it through their (or a family member's) employer, and with health benefits on track to become the single-largest expense of any employee benefit, the issue of education is important both to the sponsors and the beneficiaries of health insurance coverage. Among the key questions facing employers: What kind of education will.http://www.ebri.org/pdf/briefspdf/EBRI_IB_01-20084.pdf Health Benefits Paramount for Workers When Choosing an Employer- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "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." (Workforce Management; free registration required)http://www.workforce.com/section/00/article/25/29/62.html Employer Support Needed to Increase Awareness of Cervical Cancer Vaccinations- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "Employers are not doing all they can to educate employees about the HPV, cervical cancer and the vaccine that can prevent them, health experts contend. The issue isn't necessarily one of coverage. Nearly all health plans cover routine Pap screenings, and a high number of insurers cover Gardasil injections. But there remains a gap in communications and compliance, according to health pros." (Employee Benefit News; free registration required)http://ebn.benefitnews.com/asset/article/522331/staying-current/employer-support-needed-in... Featured Podcast: 'Five Minutes With...' Health Care Advocate Betty Long- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "This week, hear Associate Editor Chris Silva talk with Betty Long, president of the Pennsylvania-based health care advocacy firm Guardian Nurses. Long gives an overview on patient advocacy and the benefit it provides to employers and employees." (Employee Benefit News; free registration required)http://ebn.benefitnews.com/asset/article/524811/staying-current/featured-podcast-five-minu... Employees Take Advantage of Wellness Resources -- When They're Available- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "Only one in seven workers have access to educational wellness tools and fitness center discounts, reports the Principal Financial Well-Being Index." (Employee Benefit News; free registration required)http://ebn.benefitnews.com/asset/article/524841/staying-current/employees-take-advantage-w... Study is Unclear Whether Hospital Data Influence Patients' Decisions- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "The study, titled 'Systematic Review: The Evidence That Publishing Patient Care Performance Data Improves Quality of Care,' found that there is scant evidence to determine if public reporting of hospital data impacts patients' decisions." (California HealthCare Foundation; free registration may be required)http://www.ihealthbeat.org/articles/2008/1/15/Study-Unclear-Whether-Hospital-Data-Influenc... Aetna Shows How Insurers Can Protect Genetic Privacy- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "Aetna, one of the nation's largest health insurers, has begun offering confidential genetic counseling for certain cancers over the phone and through the Internet. The service is available only to members whose coverage includes in-person genetic counseling, but the program could greatly expand patients' access to their genetic history." (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/business/columnists.nsf/maryjofeldstein/story/1958D1DE5E4... Summary of Results of the Online 2008 Health Care for America Survey- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "The failures of America's health care system, the survey reveals, are a significant factor in broader economic problems facing working families today." (AFL-CIO)http://www.aflcio.org/issues/healthcare/survey/ Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance: Already Poor Access Dwindles Further for Working Latino Families- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "Latinos are more likely to be uninsured than any other major racial or ethnic group in the U.S. This coverage gap is largely due to Latinos' poor access to employer-sponsored insurance (ESI). In 2006, just 40% of all Hispanics were covered by an employer health plan, compared to 66% of non-Hispanic Whites and 49% of non-Hispanic Blacks." (National Council of La Raza)http://nclr.org/content/publications/detail/50277/ Changes in Family Health Insurance Coverage for Small and Large Firm Workers and Dependents: Evidence from 1995 to 2005 (PDF)- (Found June 19, 2008 ) 69 pages. Excerpt: "This study finds that family health insurance coverage for workers in both small and large firms is decreasing, and that firm size plays a role in the type of dependent coverage children have. Access to coverage through a large firm as a dependent remains very important to small firm employees." (U.S. Small Business Administration)http://www.sba.gov/advo/research/rs321tot.pdf |