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.

With many employers adding wellness programs, onsite health clinics and consumer-based designs, Katy’s legal expertise is a valuable source for ensuring these plans and programs are developed in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Her experience in the practical aspects of benefit plan design and administration within the context of legal compliance brings a unique skill set to our team.

We invite you to learn more about Katy >>

Look for future blog posts and mailings to showcase other happenings at FirstPerson. Until then, feel free to reach out to me or any member of the FirstPerson team. We are always here to serve.

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

But it never happened. Why? Quite simply, the reviews are terrible. Horrible. The band works great for a week or so, but never fully recharges again. Some people report that their UP has been “bricked” – it doesn’t turn on or off and is nonfunctional within a few days of purchase. That’s disappointing.

from CNN:

In his statement, Rahman says that Jawbone has “temporarily paused production” of the bands, and will once again begin taking orders after the hardware’s technical issues have been resolved.

from engadget:

Though the company says a minority of users have reported breakage, it’s telling that both of the units we tested over the past month have bricked — one of them within 24 hours. Worse, Jawbone hasn’t yet diagnosed the root cause of these problems, a collection of maladies that run the gamut from a rapidly draining battery to a silent vibration motor. We still feel that the Up has promise, but until its engineers iron out the kinks, we can’t in good faith recommend it.

Although Jawbone committed to fixing the product, it doesn’t appear that they’ve nailed it down yet.

Sigh.

But I still want one. Jawbone, please get the issue fixed. Otherwise I’m looking at the Fitbit Ultra, which looks neat but not nearly as cool as the UP.

Do you use any technology like the UP wristband? Let me know in the comments.

• 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.

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.” Confused, I read the following section:

Funds will be awarded through a competitive contract to an organization with the expertise and capacity to work with groups of employers across the nation to develop and expand workplace health programs in small and large worksites. Participating companies will educate employees about good health practices and establish work environments that promote physical activity and proper nutrition and discourage tobacco use—the key lifestyle behaviors that reduce employees’ risk for chronic disease.

I then realized that this program was no longer for grants, it was for businesses to bid on being the chosen vendor who uses the $10 million aimed at worksite wellness. To say that I’m disappointed would be an understatement! The details about how businesses are chosen is not spelled out, but I think it’s relatively safe to say this route is less effective than having a grant process. The program will be easier to administer this way, but the downfall is that less employees will be affected. $10 million does sound like a good amount of money, but once the vendor has their share and it gets dispersed… it’s not a whole lot.

In the state of Indiana, we’re lucky that we have the Small Business Wellness Tax Credit. This tax break allows businesses a credit (not a deduction – a true credit) for creation of their wellness programs. So all is not lost – but certainly on a national level it could have been much more!

It’s much easier to comprehend than its predecessor.

So – what should you do with it? The USDA website has a materials for print section where you can download and print out (or upload to an Intranet) graphics, meal plans, and a brochure that explains the new plate concept. You’ll also find sections for specific audiences, like kids. Use these materials (which look great) to increase awareness about healthy eating at your worksite.

You could also raise awareness for healthy eating by promoting local farmers’ markets and produce that’s in season. Maybe it’s by having a dietician come in for a seminar during lunch, or just putting out information in your break room.

Aside from the new My Plate site, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website also has a feature where you can build a “plate” and tally up the nutritional content of what’s on it. You drag and drop food to your “plate” and the calculator works automatically – pretty neat. Use it as a link from your Intranet site if you’re able to – or send via email to your wellness committee or employees.

Most of us could stand to eat a little better, whether it’s more fruits and vegetables or just making healthier choices, so these items are a good way of doing just that.

But about midway the presentations, I found myself thinking differently. These larger companies (10,000 + employees) might have the resources to make things happen, but change is always slower with larger populations. Small companies, in contrast, are able to make change happen sooner and realize the benefits in a shorter time frame. Incentives are also somewhat easier - imagine the logistics of handing out a simple item like t-shirts if you work for a global company!

I am typically the type of decision-maker that relies on research. What does the literature say? Are there any journal articles about that topic? Do I know any companies that have been successful with that program?My “aha” moment was this - it can’t hurt to try something. A new lunch and learn class? Try it! A walking club at your location? Start it! Arranging a group discount with a personal trainer? Go ahead! Obviously, you have to balance the cost and time with the program’s outcome and decide whether it’s worth it, but in many cases, it’s hard to find the empirical research to back up everything you do for the health of your employees. And if you’re a small business, you can make it happen without going through all the channels that a large company might face.

But please do be sure to tell us all about it – we love new ideas!

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.

How can you contract salmonellosis? The culprit is usually infected food, caused by a negligent food handler or issues during the processing or handling of food. Many times, salmonella is linked with vegetables, simply because  they don’t get washed properly before being served. Perhaps someone handling your food didn’t wash their hands after using the bathroom, or, I shudder as I write this, a rodent or small animal infected with salmonella came into contact with your food. Ew!

I know, it’s not fun to talk about, but it happens. Instead of avoiding vegetables altogether, or turning a blind eye to your food prep, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advise us to do the following:

• Wash or peel produce before eating it. Even if the salad is pre-washed and in a convenient baggie. Even if the mini carrots are peeled. Wash it all! Veggies are a very common way to contract salmonella, and it doesn’t take much time out of your day to run them under the faucet.
• Avoid raw or undercooked eggs. Yes, unfortunately this does include the cookie dough that you “test” before you bake it. It also includes eggs that are not quite done, like an omlet that’s not cooked through.
• Cook foods until they are well done. While I can’t tell you to cook your New York strip until it’s well done (the horror!), you should make sure meats like chicken, pork, or shrimp, are, in general, cooked through.
• Avoid cross-contamination of food. Keep uncooked meats separate from produce, cooked foods, and ready-to-eat foods. Thoroughly wash your hands, cutting boards, counters, knives, and other utensils after handling uncooked foods.
• Wash your hands before handling any food and between handling different food items. This is especially true when you’re working with raw meat, poultry, or fish.
• Do not prepare food or pour water for others when you have salmonellosis. And please don’t come to work, especially at FirstPerson!
• Wash your hands after contact with animal feces. Yes, this is gross to think about. And you probably are thinking that you would know if you touched animal feces, right? But if you have small animals (hamsters, dogs, cats, ferrets, even fish), or even larger animals,  wash your hands every time you touch the animal or where the animal sleeps or lives. And tell your children too!

By following the guidance above, hopefully you and your family can avoid the next salmonella outbreak and stay healthy! Even with the sprouts on your Beach Club sandwich.

Sandra Block, from the Your Money section of USA Today, put out an article outlining many of the changes:  How Health Care Reform Law has Started Helping Consumers.  If you don’t have time to read the full article, here’s a quick overview of the changes affecting individual insurance plans:

• Mandatory coverage for children with pre-existing conditions
• Free preventive care
• Insurers cannot rescind coverage without reason and 30-day notice
• No more lifetime limits on coverage