Health plans - info for employees (BenefitsLink.com)Headlines re Health plans - info for employees, gathered by BenefitsLink.comStudy Says Individual Health Insurance Policy May Be More Stable Than Group Coverage- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "For workers in fair or poor health, owning individual health insurance seems to offer more security than relying on employer-sponsored small-group health coverage does." (Life and Health Insurance News)http://www.lifeandhealthinsurancenews.com/cms/nulh/Breaking%20News/2008/05/12-health-ab Americans Worry About Funding a Long Retirement- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "Americans appear to be underestimating the financial impact of the death of a spouse. About 60 percent of those responding to the survey felt there would be little impact when a spouse dies, but Anna M. Rappaport, a consulting actuary based in Chicago and supervisor of the biennial report, said that surviving spouses often experience significant drops in income and benefit coverage, especially women." (New York Times)http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/business/AP-Retirement-Savings.html Text of Society of Actuaries Survey Report Addressing Longevity Risks- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "The Society of Actuaries' recent Risks and Retirement Survey Report identifies and offers approaches to help employers and employees manage today's retirement risks. These risks include outliving one's assets, loss of spouse, decline in functional status and healthcare and medical expenses. In addition, the SOA is leading future retirement research by releasing a series of retirement survey reports. " (Society of Actuaries)http://www.soa.org/news-and-publications/newsroom/retirement/default.aspx Employees Want Employer Help with Benefit Decisions- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "Employers and their human resource departments are now the number one source consulted for advice during open enrollment season (63%), according to MetLife's 2008 Open Enrollment Survey." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)http://www.plansponsor.com/pi_type11/?RECORD_ID=41652 This Open Enrollment Period, Benefits Communications Take Center Stage- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "Closing the 'guidance gap' between the benefits offered during Open Enrollment and employees' access to tools and information to make the decision-making process less complicated can pay strong dividends for employers. According to the MetLife survey, released today, among those workers that report having access to resources to help them make informed decisions, 82% were satisfied with their benefits offerings compared to half (51%) of employees who stated that they didn't get...http://dialog.newsedge.com/portal.asp?site=2006120817070303800165&searchfolderid=pg200... California Cap on Chiropractic Treatment Survives Court Challenge- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "A state appeals court has ruled that California's 24-visit cap on chiropractic treatments for workers compensation injuries is constitutional." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)http://www.plansponsor.com/pi_type10/?RECORD_ID=41717 Health Plans, PBMs Consider Strategies for Increasing Health Literacy of Their Members- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "Nearly half all U.S. adults lack the 'health literacy' skills necessary to understand and act on basic health information - a problem that costs pharmaceutical payers billions of dollars annually on misused medications and contributes to roughly 1.5 million adverse drug events every year, experts say." (AISHealth.com)http://www.aishealth.com/Bnow/hbd053008.html Increasing Transparency in the Pricing of Health Care Services and Pharmaceuticals (PDF)- (Found June 19, 2008 ) 8 pages. Excerpt: "This brief explores whether increased transparency about prices for specific health care services and pharmaceuticals would help to temper the rapid growth in costs. The answer is unclear because evidence can be marshaled on both sides of the issue." (U.S. Congressional Budget Office)http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/92xx/doc9284/06-05-PriceTransparency.pdf Many People Base Life Choices on Ability to Retain, Obtain Health Insurance- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "Anxiety over becoming uninsured or paying higher premiums is causing some people -- 'especially those with health problems' -- to go to 'great lengths to get or keep job-based health coverage,' the Wall Street Journal reports." (Kaiser Family Foundation)http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?hint=3&DR_ID=52642 Comprehension and Choice of a Consumer-Directed Health Plan: An Experimental Study (PDF)- (Found June 19, 2008 ) 8 pages. Excerpt: "This study highlights the difficulty many consumers have in understanding comparative plan information. It also suggests that presentation strategies may help consumers understand choices better." (The American Journal of Managed Care)http://www.ajmc.com/files/articlefiles/AJMC_08junGreene369to376.pdf |