Valuable Information

1. Beating the Graduation Health Insurance Blues
After years of hard work, tuition, dorm fees, and all the associated expenses, you finally get to watch your child receive his or her college degree.  No doubt you feel an immense amount of pride as she walks across the stage with her sheepskin in hand, ... more.

2. Considering an HSA? Get an Early Start on Planning and Communications
Industry surveys indicate that enrollment in health savings accounts (HSAs) is surging. According to figures from America’s Health Insurance Plans; a national trade association, more than 1 million people were covered by HSAs as of March 2005, .... more.

3. Considering Changing Health Plans? Start by Evaluating Current Plan
Though medical cost increases have slowed somewhat (averaging 7.5% in 2004, down from double-digit increases in the preceding three years, according to a survey from Mercer Human Resources Consulting), this rate of increase is enough to cause an employer ... more.

4. Employees More Willing to Accept Limited Provider Choice to Save Money
The percentage of Americans willing to trade provider choice for lower out-of-pocket costs has increased in the past few years. This is due in part to the higher health care costs employees have experienced as employers passed on a portion of the cost increases ... more.

5. Employers Need to Ensure Employees Are Financially Prepared for High-Deductible Health Plans
According to new research by the Commonwealth Fund, high-deductible health plans often trigger financial difficulties and cause members to forgo needed care. Results of the survey are based on responses from 4,052 adults polled nationwide covered by ... more.

6. Employers Should Beware of Health Insurance Scams
Some 15,000 employers fell victim to health insurance scams between 2000 and 2002, according to a March 2004 report from the General Accounting Office (GAO). Companies offering the policies collect premiums and may even pay some claims before simply disappearing, ... more.

7. Rising Health Insurance Premiums Have Wide-Ranging Effects
Rising health insurance premiums may result in higher unemployment, lower wages for workers with employment-based health insurance, and increasing numbers of workers shifting to part-time non-benefits-eligible employment, ... more.

8. Web Sites Can Provide Valuable Health Information, But Surf with Caution
Today's employee is expected to be a savvy consumer of health care services. Changes in health plan designs that shift more costs to employees compel thoughtful consideration of how to spend health care dollars ... more.