Health plans - info for employees (BenefitsLink.com)Headlines re Health plans - info for employees, gathered by BenefitsLink.comKaiser Health Tracking Poll - Election 2008, April 2008- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "An April 2008 poll finds that health care costs rank among Americans' top personal economic problems, and their struggles to deal with those costs have affected both their financial well-being and their family's health care. Conducted by the Foundation's public opinion researchers, the poll probes into the economic concerns facing Americans and the ways they have dealt with the cost of health care." (Kaiser Family Foundation)http://www.kff.org/kaiserpolls/h08_pomr042908pkg.cfm Survey Findings: Two Roads Diverged: Hewitt's Annual Health Care Survey 2008- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "For more than two decades, Hewitt Associates' health care survey has tracked employer health care practices, benefit programs, and efforts to provide and manage workforce health benefits. In 2008, Hewitt commissioned two surveys focusing on employer and employee health care trends and views." (Hewitt Associates; registration required to access findings)http://www.hewittassociates.com/Intl/NA/en-US/KnowledgeCenter/ArticlesReports/ArticleDetai... Health Plan Details Elude Most Americans- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "Fifty-five percent of U.S. health-plan members don't fully understand 'critical details' of their insurance coverage, including prescription benefits, how to find the right doctor and appeal-coverage denials, a survey found. The majority of respondents rated their insurer lowest on communications and information provided to help them understand their plans, according to the survey released Wednesday by J.D. Power & Associates." (Bloomberg News via Arizona Daily Star)http://www.azstarnet.com/news/236887 J.d. Power and Associates Reports Satisfaction with Health Plans Varies Dramatically from Region to Region- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Comment by Don McCanne. Excerpt: "Although this was a J.D. Power study of consumer satisfaction, it does reveal a very important point. Only 45 percent of health plan members self-reported that they understood their health insurance coverage. The other half didn't, and that was correlated with lower satisfaction ratings." (Physicians for a National Health Program)http://www.pnhp.org/news/2008/may/understanding_your_o.php Health Plans, PBMs Consider New Ways to Boost the Health Literacy of Their Members- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "Some health plans and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) contacted by AIS are taking steps to address the health literacy issues of their members in an attempt to improve therapeutic outcomes and the bottom line." (AISHealth.com)http://www.aishealth.com/GNOW/050508.html#gnowone Health Insurance Benefits Offer Rates for Smaller Establishments by Business Age- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "Researchers looking at the reasons why employers offer coverage have identified a variety of factors. These include both employee characteristics, such as earnings, occupation, part-time versus full-time status, union status, gender, and age, and employer characteristics, such as geographic region, industry, and firm and establishment size. This issue brief looks at a less well-understood factor that may also affect an employer's decision to offer health benefits: how long a...http://www.kff.org/insurance/snapshot/chcm050608oth.cfm Employees Looking for Help on Managing Finances, Maximizing Benefits- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "Nearly half of workers (49%) are interested in receiving financial advice and guidance at the workplace, according to the sixth annual MetLife Study of Employee Benefits Trends, a national survey of 1,380 full-time employees." (Employee Benefit News; free registration required)http://ebn.benefitnews.com/asset/article/604071/staying-current/employees-have-hunger-fina... |