GLG News by Life & Health Insurance Experts

Daniel BucklePrincipalEmployee Benefit Resources of South Texas

Linking Health and Productivity

April 24, 2006

Analysis of:Sleep deprivation Brings Lower productivity and Higher Health Costs | www.shrm.org

An estimated 50,000,000 to 70,000,000 Americans suffer from sleep disorders that cost US businesses billions in healthcare, lost productivity and safety. A society operating 24/7/365 is creating sleep deprivation that is manifesting itself in a myriad of health related consequences including  an increased risk of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, depression, heart attack and strokes according to a well researched study by the National Academy of Sciences.

Manufacturing, Healthcare and transportation businesses are especially susceptible as are other which never close. Further, even businesses without shift workers are still likely to see sleep related disorders as a product of obesity. Businesses which do not manage to engage their workforce and encourage behavioral  and lifestyle changes will be at a competitive disadvantage. Health Care Insurers with a track record of successful disease management engagement will benefit.

Daniel BucklePrincipalEmployee Benefit Resources of South Texas

Obesity Research Highlights Consumer Driven Challenges

April 21, 2006

Analysis of:Research Documents Weight Problems | www.benefitnews.com

Medical costs associated with obesity cost U.S. businesses about $8,720 per patient per year. Obesity today ranks as the number one public health issue. Obese employees do not select consumer driven healthplans given alternative options which means weight management efforts and incentives by employers will be necessary at most large employers which offer multiple health plan choices to their employees.

Daniel BucklePrincipalEmployee Benefit Resources of South Texas

Employers Prepare To Offer Consumer Driven Healthplans

April 21, 2006

Analysis of:Many Offer Basic Wellness, Few Track Results | www.benefitnews.com

Effective wellness initiatives and an engaged workforce are essential elements at reducing healthcare costs yet few employers today are bothering to measure the effectiveness of their wellness programs. The wellness efforts of three large employers are highlighted in this article and provide useful insights into the essential preparations a larger employer must make to actually achieve tangible cost reductions via consumer driven healthcare alternatives. The different incentives offered by 62% of the employers surveyed by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans who actually offer wellness programs show how employers are seeking to engage their workforce and change behavior. Investors in the Health care sector need to consider that it will take years before a significant percentage of the population is enrolled in consumer driven healthplans as many Americans today are not prepared to be educated healthcare consumers.

Daniel BucklePrincipalEmployee Benefit Resources of South Texas

Consumer Driven Healthcare Trends

April 20, 2006

Analysis of:Attention Healthcare Shoppers | www.healthleadersmedia.com

This article provides insight into the consumer driven healthcare marketplace as it strives to achieve critical mass. Currently only 5% of the commercial healthcare market is enrolled in consumer driven plans and it remains to be seen whether the consumer driven market will continue to grow.

Daniel BucklePrincipalEmployee Benefit Resources of South Texas

Not so fast

April 19, 2006

Analysis of:Robust Health Insurers Suffer Infirmities in 2006 | www.nytimes.com

This article contains a number of assumptions which may not prove accurate including;
1. Run-up of healthcare stocks has left little upside.
2. Consumer driven healthplans mean lower revenue and lower claims costs.
3. Companies with a smaller Medicare part D enrollment may be more attractive to investors

Daniel BucklePrincipalEmployee Benefit Resources of South Texas

Study Shows Employers Bundling More Benefits with Health

April 12, 2006

Analysis of:Study: Employers Offering More Benefits in Tandem | www.plansponsor.com

As employers embrace consumer driven heathcare benefits they are rapidly eliminating organizational silos while coordinating and integrating benefit delivery. This trend has implications for benefit carriers lacking multiple products which can be bundled or integrated seamlessly as employers strive to control health, disability and absenteeism costs.

Daniel BucklePrincipalEmployee Benefit Resources of South Texas

Consumer Driven Consequences Will Impact Insurer's

April 11, 2006

Analysis of:Words to the wise - Engaging and empowering baby boomers to prevent and treat disabilities | www.benefitnews.com

The confluence of baby boomers aging and consumer driven healthcare options is increasing the awareness of employees that they can influence their own health everyday via lifestyle decisions. Many employees are being incentivized to take health risk assessments which identify specific diseases they are at risk to develop along with the action steps they can take to avoid sickness. Employers are also in a position to utilize aggregate medical claim costs to target the top drivers of cost within their health plans while developing contingency plans to reduce claim costs and in so doing also reduce absenteeism costs. Traditional Disability insurers are not necessarily positioned to capitalize on the consumer driven healthcare movement and may lose marketshare to health insurers who are better positioned to deliver products and services that employers are prioritizing.

Daniel BucklePrincipalEmployee Benefit Resources of South Texas

Massachusetts Healthcare Bill to Break the Bank

April 11, 2006

Analysis of:Bill of Health | cato.org

Everything you need to know about why the Massachussetts healthcare bill is destined to fail.

Daniel BucklePrincipalEmployee Benefit Resources of South Texas

Using Common-Sense to Control Healthcare Costs

April 11, 2006

Analysis of:The Doctor is In-House | www.shrm.org

Employers are bringing clinicians in-house as an effective means of reducing the cost of healthcare as well as workers compensation,  short term disability and long term disability. Employers are also direct contracting for these services which complement the efforts of their Healthcare vendors. Proactive efforts which effectively reduce the cost of providing employee benefits can impact an employers profitability positively and a health insurers negatively. The failure of health insurers to control costs has progressive employers pursuing solutions and succeeding on their own via the application of common sense.

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