About four years ago, I dreamed of the day when our firm could bring legal expertise direct to our customers and grow our compliance service offerings. Through the merger of Benefit Associates and Benefit Consultants nearly two years ago, we certainly made great strides in this area. However, today my four-year-old dream became a reality. Today, Catherine (Katy) Stowers joined FirstPerson as an Advisor and General Counsel.

Many of our customers have worked with Katy during her time at Krieg DeVault as a senior benefit attorney in the employee benefits and executive compensation practice group.  Her focus on health and welfare plans, including health care reform, will without a doubt be a huge asset to our customers and team.

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Last fall, when I read about the new UP wristband from Jawbone, I was excited. Ecstatic. I had visions of activity and technology dancing in my head.

I had plans of buying one as soon as I got an iPhone. The turquoise one, to be exact.

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We first wrote about the “grandfathering” component of health care reform more than a year ago.  Believe it or not, not much has changed! As a reminder, here are the key reasons that an employer would strategically elect to retain a grandfathered status for their plans:

• Fully-insured employers who have a benefit design or contribution differential in favor of highly compensated employees must maintain a grandfathered status to ensure they are allowed to continue this practice
• Avoids the requirement that plans provide preventive services at no cost to the member including the newly expanded women’s health requirements
• Are not subject to the new state or federal review of insurance premium increases of 10 percent for individual policies or small business plans
• Do not need to follow a rule allowing consumers to appeal denials of claims to a third-party reviewer
• Small employers (<100 employees) will not be required to meet the minimum essential benefits test in 2014 – Large plans (100+) will be required to pass these tests regardless of grandfather plan status

We recently came across a well written article from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation’s “Health Reform Source” page.  Not only is their article Grandfathering Explained worth a read but so are the rest of the resources regarding reform.

More than a year ago now, I was delighted to read that Health Care Reform included a provision that focused on small emloyers’ wellness programs via grants. $10 million was set aside just for this purpose! I had visions of our clients applying for these grants and having funding through Health Care Reform that allowed them to focus on prevention. I anxiously awaited more details on these wellness grants. Guidance was supposed to be posted in October 2010.  Unfortunately, that month came and went. And then the next, and the next… you get the picture.

Fast forward to last Thursday, when I saw a press release about the wellness grants. I excitedly read through the release but didn’t see any mention of the word “grant.” Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday, the US Department of Agriculture released the next generation of the food pyramid. I really like it.  

It’s much easier to comprehend than its predecessor. Read the rest of this entry »

I recently had the fortune of attending a wellness conference with Carrie and Elizabeth. We were all excited to learn new ideas – and for me, it’s usually hearing about what large companies do and then thinking of ways to make it smaller in scale. Historically, large or jumbo companies have the staff (and the budget!) to implement new programs related to employee health and wellness that small companies just don’t have. Read the rest of this entry »

What a week! From a conference in sunny Arizona to the 2011 Benefit Update in Indy, health care reform was the topic on everyone’s mind.

According to Tami Graham, JD, Director of Global Benefits Design, with Intel, “If the healthcare system wasn’t broken, employers wouldn’t need to focus on employee healthcare.” I agree:  until something in the market changes, employers must focus on healthcare for their employees to keep them well and at work.

The expert panel at the 2011 Benefit Update resoundingly agreed that the best approach to navigating health care reform is to take it one day at a time.  Mike Paton, Partner with Barnes & Thornburg, added that there’s no sense in preparing for legislation that is several years out and may not even come to realization.

At FirstPerson, our role as your advisor is to help you navigate your options – we are here to create your roadmap.

A recent news article from the Indianapolis Star confirms that alfalfa sprouts distributed to Indiana may have been contaminated with salmonella. If you’re not familiar with salmonellosis, a type of food poisoning caused by the salmonella bacteria, a quick trip to WebMD reveals that symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever. The illness usually lasts between 4 and 7 days, and though you’ll most likely recover, it’s safe to say that you’ll be uncomfortable and be seriously regretting eating whatever made you ill in the first place. Read the rest of this entry »

Recent health care provisions are making it easier for consumers to receive the type of coverage they need under individual insurance plans.  Several changes went into effect September 23, and many consumers are now feeling the benefit from the new legislation. Read the rest of this entry »