Wellness

Top 10 health conditions costing employers the most

By October 22nd, 2019   Healthcare, Wellness

Employee Benefit News recently published a list of the 10 health conditions that are costing employers the most. They are:

  1. High-Risk Pregnancy
  2. Smoking
  3. High Cholesterol
  4. Depression/Mental Illness
  5. Hypertension/High Blood Pressure
  6. Heart Disease
  7. Arthritis/back/musculoskeletal
  8. Obesity
  9. Cancer
  10. Diabetes

Employee Benefit Advisors would like to point out that a least half the list is related to one’s weight. It prompts reposting the meat of EBA’s November 19th, 2014 blog.

The following was posted by one of my fellow CEBS (Certified Employee Benefit Specialist) colleagues. Employee Benefit Advisors has seen, time after time with our own clients, that weight loss is the number one factor to controlling health care costs.

“One of the most effective ways to ensure quality healthcare services is to not need it in the first place… All those overweight, please raise your hand. All those currently being treated for a preventable healthcare issue raise your hand.

My husband is 68 years old and was on high blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol meds–pretty typical at this age. Oh, yes, and frequently had terrible heart burn. Lost 38 pounds and just had his annual physical. Doc took him off all his prescription meds and he no longer ever has heart burn. Go figure… How’d he do it? Cut way back on consumption of carbs/sugar. That’s it. Pretty simple. Nothing else…not even exercise. Now that he feels so good he has started to exercise on a regular basis.”

 

Employee Benefit Advisors provides employee benefits, tax-advantaged healthcare, compliance guidance for ACA and Health & Welfare DOL Audits, and PEO Advisory & Consulting Services.

Men are the problem!

By April 4th, 2017   Healthcare, Human Resources, Wellness

Men don’t go to the doctor unless their arm or leg is falling off or they are dying. Consequently they are a major reason for the large preventable claims your company is incurring. So men, get a reality check, and become a smart patient.

Human Resource Directors, read the following then think about this recommendation. “Employees that have their annual wellness exam should pay less for their employer provided health insurance.” (This recommendation is good for women as well, you don’t want to discriminate. And you can implement this staying HIPAA compliant.)

Guys, you may feel fine, but the numbers don’t lie: More men than women are likely to be diagnosed with diabetes and kidney disease. And according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 12.1% of US men have circulatory diseases like coronary heart disease, heart attack and stroke. Your body may be suffering from silent conditions that have little or no symptoms, such as hypertension or colon cancer. About 3.5 million people are diagnosed with skin cancer every year, and men are more likely than women to die from melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.

You should talk to your doctor about your risk of prostate cancer – especially if you’re over 50, African American, or if prostate cancer runs in your family. If you’re a baby boomer, you should get tested for hepatitis C (HCV). More than 75% of adults infected with HCV, often a symptomless disease, were born between 1945-1965. Left untreated, HCV can cause life-threatening diseases such as liver damage, liver cancer and cirrhosis.

So no more excuses. The old “ignore-it-and-it-will-go-away” approach doesn’t work. It’s time to get informed and become a smart patient. Make that doctor’s appointment now.

Statistical information came from sharecare, www.shaecare.com, a great resource for men and women’s health.

 

Employee Benefit Advisors provides employee benefits, tax-advantaged healthcare, compliance guidance for ACA and Health & Welfare DOL Audits, and PEO Advisory & Consulting Services. We can customize a wellness plan for your budget and culture.

BMI – Good News for those trending on the Porky Side!

By March 14th, 2017   Wellness

BMI, body mass index, measures the weight to height ratio. Good news for those trending on the high side, according to the report in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the optimum ratio is on the upper side of the index.

Currently, doctors define the normal range for BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9. A BMI of 25-29.9 is considered overweight, while 30 or higher is obese. In the 1970s, the optimal BMI for the lowest risk of death was 23.7. By 1991-94, the optimal BMI had risen to 24.6, in 2003-2013, it reached 27.

Although the findings suggest the need to reevaluate the categories presently used to define overweight, which are based on data pre 1990s data, don’t start packing on those pounds. Health experts still maintain the risks of being overweight include diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and cardiovascular disease – among other things.

Want to know your BMI? – BMI is calculated by weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared.

 

Employee Benefit Advisors provides employee benefits, tax-advantaged healthcare, compliance guidance for ACA and Health & Welfare DOL Audits, and PEO Advisory & Consulting Services. We can customize a wellness plan for your budget and culture.

Wellness: Prevention Pays

By May 4th, 2016   Wellness

The Public Health Institute claims for every $1 spent on workplace wellness programs can save up to $6. Programs can reduce sick leave, medical costs and workers’ comp claims by 25%. A 1% reduction in health risks could save $83 – $103 annually in medical costs per person.

Even if the claims are exaggerated threefold a worksite wellness program is worth investigating. Small investments in health and wellness can generate big returns.

 

Employee Benefit Advisors provides employee benefits, tax-advantaged healthcare, compliance guidance for ACA and Health & Welfare DOL Audits, and PEO Advisory & Consulting Services. We can customize a wellness plan for your budget and culture.

Wellness Leads to Better Business & Higher Profits

By March 16th, 2016   Wellness

A healthy, thriving workforce makes for a healthier business. Investing in health reduces health care costs, improves productivity.

Alternatively, poor health is bad for business. Chronic disease drives health care expenditures, which cuts into productivity and profits. Consider

  • 67% of our workforce is overweight
  • 1 in 4 has heart disease
  • 1 in 3 Americans has high blood pressure
  • $73 billion is the annual cost of obesity among full-time employees
  • $15s billion loss to employers annually due to absenteeism from workers who are overweight and have other chronic conditions
  • 45o million work days missed every year by full-time employees who are overweight and have chronic conditions

Wellness programs lead to prevention which means better business, higher profits.

 

Employee Benefit Advisors provides employee benefits, tax-advantaged healthcare, compliance guidance for ACA and Health & Welfare DOL Audits, and PEO Advisory & Consulting Services. We can customize a wellness plan for your budget and culture.

 

The Future of Vision

By October 21st, 2015   Healthcare, Healthcare Services, Wellness

6 eye care and eye wear innovations that will alter your view of vision benefits

    1. Accu-Fit Technology – reads the shape of your eyes and automatically recommends the best prescription
    2. Glasses.com – takes a 3D image of your face and allows you to look at up to four pairs of frames from every angle
    3. Onsite or pop-up clinics – setting up a store right in your office/plant, offering onsite exams; promotes both the importance of regular eye exams and your company’s wellness program
    4. “Healthy” wearable tech – your glasses will be your hub for your personal health and wellness providing you with your blood pressure blood sugar levels, etc… and automatically share the data with your doctor
    5. Smart Contacts – contact lenses that use tears to measure blood sugar levels for patients with diabetes (no more pricking your finger); for glaucoma patients lenses that measure intraocular pressure sending an alert to your smartphone that it’s time to administer eye drops
    6. Online Exams – emerging technology that allows for a refraction (used to determine the level of correction) to be tested online

Thank you Shauna Whittingham, Eyemed.

Employee Benefit Advisors provides employee benefits. We are a broker helping companies with their Health & Welfare Benefits. We also help companies revaluate PEO Services, deciding if a PEO is a good choice and if so selecting and implementing the PEO.

Dark Chocolate – just what the Doctor ordered!

By July 15th, 2015   Apps / Websites, Wellness

Just 30 calories per day of chocolate may be enough to help reduce your blood pressure. As far as serving sizes go, that’s about a Hershey’s Kiss worth.

But you have to eat the right kind of chocolate, according to Joseph Maroon, MD, author of The Longevity Factor. He recommends nonsweetened or minimally sweetened dark chocolate that’s at least 70 percent cocoa.

Dark Chocolate: The Benefits
In addition to the chocolate and blood pressure connection, dark chocolate can also help reduce atherosclerosis and blood clotting, aid blood flow, contribute to an overall reduction in heart attacks, and improve cholesterol levels. And it’s all thanks to the powerful antioxidants found in the cocoa bean.

More Good Reasons to Eat Chocolate
As if you need them . . .
• For better blood sugar. Chocolate enhances the effect of insulin and sugar utilization.
• For a finer complexion. Yep, fewer wrinkles and fine lines.

PS – Just to be safe, Employee Benefit Advisors enjoys 60 calories a day.
_____________________

This article appeared on Sharecare. It is just one of the many fun facts that will draw you back to the site on a regular basis. What is Sharecare? Sharecare was developed by Dr. Mehmet Oz and Jeff Arnold as an online health profile, just like you have social, professional, and creative profiles.

www.sharecare.com – An interactive platform that provides expert health information and allows you to ask questions and get answers.

Employee Benefit Advisors provides employee benefits, tax-advantaged healthcare, compliance guidance for ACA and Health & Welfare DOL Audits, and PEO Advisory & Consulting Services.

Pre-Active Medicine – CompanionDx

By May 6th, 2015   Apps / Websites, Healthcare, Healthcare Services, Human Resources, Wellness

Anywhere between 40 and 75 percent of drugs are ineffective for individual patients. That means a large portion of patients may not only be wasting their money—but they may not be receiving the treatment or the results they seek.

Pre-Active medicine is a new diagnostic discipline that uses genetic insights to help prevent adverse drug reactions, misdiagnosis or other negative consequences of inadequate medical discovery.

CompanionDx™ is one of the only providers of both pharmacogenomics evaluations and cancer companion diagnostic testing. When used separately or in conjunction, these two types of tests are giving physicians the resources they need for more comprehensive patient treatment profiles—and that means more certainty when it comes to effective therapeutic decisions.

Tests include:
Pharmacogenomics testing
Cancer companion diagnostics testing
Colorectal cancer screening
NextGen Sequencing testing (in development)
 
You’ll receive easy-to-read test reports within 3-7 days.

Employee Benefit Advisors provides employee benefits, tax-advantaged healthcare, compliance guidance for ACA and Health & Welfare DOL Audits, and PEO Advisory & Consulting Services.

Useful Website: healthgrades

By December 17th, 2014   Apps / Websites, Human Resources, Wellness

The website, www.healthgrades.com, allows individuals to search for a doctor based on name, specialty, condition, procedure, and/or geographic location. Users can filter results by many options including Insurance Provider. While the home page does not have a field to input insurance, once you enter a search (see screen shot below), on the far right you will see an “other criteria” section where a consumer can filter by insurance carrier. However, If you input a specific provider the insurance accepted is hard to find. It is buried under phone and address – you need to scroll to the bottom of the page.

Caveat: Be sure to check with the provider that they are in-network. i.e. They may be listed as accepting Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida, however BCBS-FL has three different networks; BlieOptions, BlueCare and BlueSelect. The site does not give you a carrier’s specific network choice. (The company tells me they are looking to add plan level detail to in the future.)

Fat People Have Issues!

By November 19th, 2014   Healthcare, Human Resources, Wellness

Medical issues

Before offending anyone – I posted the politically incorrect title in hopes of getting more people to read. I like fat people, many of my friends are fat. So please take it in good humor. I don’t need hate mail. I also recognize some people have genetic challenges.

The following was posted by one of my fellow CEBS (Certified Employee Benefit Specialist) colleagues. Employee Benefit Advisors has seen, time after time with my own clients, that weight loss is the number one factor to controlling health care costs.

“One of the most effective ways to ensure quality healthcare services is to not need it in the first place… All those overweight, please raise your hand. All those currently being treated for a preventable healthcare issue raise your hand.

My husband is 68 years old and was on high blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol meds–pretty typical at this age. Oh, yes, and frequently had terrible heart burn. Lost 38 pounds and just had his annual physical. Doc took him off all his prescription meds and he no longer ever has heart burn. Go figure… How’d he do it? Cut way back on consumption of carbs/sugar. That’s it. Pretty simple. Nothing else…not even exercise. Now that he feels so good he has started to exercise on a regular basis.

Those of us paying taxes to support Medicare say, Thank you! “

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