“Power Group is the reason our people are happy with our plan.”
Chip always makes sure that our employees understand the details of their benefits. Power Group is the reason our people are happy with our plan.
Brenda Ashe, United Instrument
“Keep up the great job!”
I would like to commend one of your employees on her fantastic customer service. Her name is Kelly Hoefer. I had an issue using my Flex Benefits card and I emailed the help center. Kelly was the one who responded and she helped me immensely. I have never had anyone to respond so promptly and so kindly. It is a rare commodity anymore to receive such great customer service. I wanted to be sure and thank her and to let your company know what a helpful employee you have working for you. Keep up the great job!
Zelma Janelle McCrite, Southeast Missouri State University
“I would highly recommend Matt Weaver as a broker.”
I would highly recommend Matt Weaver as a broker. My company is small, about 20 employees, yet Matt has always taken the time and effort to treat our company as an important client. Matt has gone above and beyond his responsibilities when we have had questions with insurance coverage. He is always prompt on responses.
Reine Shepherd, Falcon Design and Manufacturing
Workplace Wellness
Low-Cost Activities That Work
By Peter Hendrixson
Workplace wellness programs that support employees and the environment that they work in have been shown to be a good return on investment. Workplace wellness programs can be extensive and sometimes expensive. However, there are ways for small employers to make positive changes at little or no cost.
Program Activities
Nutrition Activities
Fruit and Vegetable Consumption
- Provide healthy eating reminders and prompts to employees via multiple means (i.e. e-mail, posters, payroll stuffers, etc.).
- Offer appealing, low-cost fruits and vegetables in vending machines and in the cafeteria.
- Provide cookbooks, food preparation, and cooking classes for employees’ families.
- Ensure onsite cafeterias follow healthy cooking practices and set nutritional standards for foods served that align with the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
- Offer healthy foods at meetings, conferences, and catered events.
- Use point-of-decision prompts as a marketing technique to promote healthier choices.
- Provide healthy cooking demonstrations that teach skills (i.e. fruit and vegetable selection and preparation).
- Provide taste-testing opportunities at the workplace.
- Offer employee-led campaigns, demonstrations or programs.
- Offer local fruits and vegetables at the workplace (i.e. workplace farmer’s market or community-supported agriculture drop-off point).
- Use competitive pricing (price non-nutritious foods in vending machines and cafeterias at higher prices).
- Provide protected time and dedicated space away from the work area for breaks and lunch.
- Make kitchen equipment available to employees.
- Provide an opportunity for onsite gardening if possible.
Sweetened Beverage Consumption
- Make water available throughout the day.
- Offer appealing, low-cost healthful drink options in vending machines and the cafeteria.
- Modify worksite vending contracts to increase the number of healthy options.
- Price non-nutritious beverages at a higher cost.
- Use point-of-decision prompts to promote healthier choices.
Portion Control
- Label foods to show serving size and/or nutritional content.
- Provide food models, food scales for weighing and pictures to help employees assess portion size.
- Offer appropriate portion sizes at meetings, workplace events and in the cafeteria.
For more ideas on exercise and weight control, download the PDF.
Controlling Healthcare Costs
5 Easy Ways to Stretch Your Healthcare Dollars
You can hardly turn on the nightly news or pick up a newspaper without hearing about the rising cost of healthcare and the stifling effect it is having on individuals and employers. With experts predicting national healthcare cost increases to stay in the double-digits for the near and long-term, employers are passing more costs on to their employees, and individuals and families are looking for ways to stretch their healthcare dollars.
Making the most of your healthcare dollars can actually be easier than you think. Below are ten easy ways you can easily stretch your healthcare dollar and do your part to help keep overall healthcare costs down.
- Understand how your health plan works. This is probably the first and most important step in getting the most for your healthcare dollar. You need to know what is and what is not covered, what procedures you need to follow to ensure your claims are paid, and which providers and facilities to use to get the most cost-effective care. Know the deductibles, copayments, and other out-of-pocket costs you are responsible for paying before you use medical products or services or get a prescription filled.
- Use in-network providers. Participating providers (doctors, hospitals, and other providers in your plan’s network) generally charge discounted rates for plan members. When you go to a non-participating provider you will likely pay a higher coinsurance percentage (for example, 30 percent out-of-network versus 10 percent in-network). And, you will likely have to pay the difference in price between the participating provider’s discounted fee, and the non-participating provider’s “regular” fee.
- Look into freestanding surgical and diagnostic centers. If you need surgery, you might save money by having it performed at an ambulatory surgical center — a freestanding clinic that is not a hospital or operated by a hospital. These centers usually charge less than hospitals or their outpatient surgical centers. Freestanding diagnostic centers are also available and tend to charge less for certain tests like MRIs, CAT scans, X-rays, and bone density scans. But before you go, make sure the facility is in your plan’s network and that your plan’s benefits cover the service. And as always, talk to your doctor to be sure this course of action is appropriate for you.
- Ask your doctor about home testing and monitoring devices. Home tests for blood pressure, diabetes, and other conditions can help ensure you are following your doctor’s orders and that prescribed treatments are working. These tests will usually cost less than in-office testing. Check with your doctor to be sure in-home testing is appropriate, report your results regularly, and call your doctor if you notice anything unusual.
- Only go to the hospital emergency room for true emergencies. If you need medical care when your regular doctor is not available, think about going to an urgent care center rather than a hospital emergency room. This can often be a tough call, but for a cold or a minor sprain, avoiding the ER will probably save you money for two reasons: 1) the copayment is usually lower for a doctor visit or an urgent care visit, and 2) your insurer might make you pay for the full cost of care if you use an emergency room for a non-emergency. And, getting care at an urgent care center will almost certainly be faster than at the ER. Call your plan’s health hotline, if available, to get advice on how, when, and where to seek care in a non-emergency situation..
The Benefits of Benefits
By Mark Avery
Any organization is only as good as its people, and success is most often determined by the extent to which companies attract and retain the best employees. To that end, benefits are about enabling the employer to compete for the best people. An effective benefit plan will also increase work-focus and productivity by giving employees security and peace of mind.
Employees are better equipped to focus on work when they know that medical expenses won’t cripple them, programs are in place to help them save for retirement, life insurance will take care of those they love and disability insurance will sustain them should they be unable to work. Benefits are expensive, but rightly chosen and communicated, they can be a positive and profitable investment.
The Basics
What benefits should you offer? The broad answer is that the more options you offer, the richer your benefits plan will be—and the richer it will appear to be, which is just as important. The good news is that, done wisely, you can expand your options without increasing how much you spend.
You should consider at least including medical, dental, vision, long-term disability, life insurance and a 401(k) retirement plan. You also should consider a wellness program or an employee assistance program (EAP). Ninety-eight percent of Fortune 500 companies offer their employees either one or both because of the return on investment, including:
- Fewer sick days
- Fewer stress days
- Higher morale = higher production
- Lower utilization = lower costs
If you absolutely cannot spare another dollar or can’t wait for the ROI to kick in, call your broker and ask how you can supplement existing benefits. Some local health providers now offer smoking cessation and weight loss programs, health club discounts, health risk assessments, prenatal care, onsite flu shots and other wellness benefits.
Controlling Costs
First, compare prices from all major carriers, but beware: If a carrier you’re not familiar with has a price that seems too good to be true—it probably is. You should also:
- Choose a plan with the highest deductible and co-payment your employees can afford.
- Split the cost with your employees. Find out what your competition offers percentage wise (ask your broker), and at least match it.
- Get the coverage your employees want, not what you think they want—get their input!
- Consider carving out dependents and moving them to individual policies.
- Consider guaranteed maximum increases. Ask your broker about quoting you a three-year plan.
- Choose a reliable carrier; unpaid claims can ruin a “bargain.”
Questions to Ask Your Broker
Where will the buck stop? The days of hearing from your insurance broker only at renewal time are over, or they should be. Make sure you know how your broker intends to service your account. Who will you direct service questions to? The broker? An account manager? Or, will the broker say to call the carrier? Find out how much responsibility your broker is willing to shoulder. Also, find out if the agency has other clients in your industry, as well as other clients who are similar in size.
In general, find a broker willing to act as a consultant. No two benefit plans should be exactly the same any more than any two organizations and their employees are the same. Find a broker who will listen to your needs, advise a tailored plan and hold your hand through the implementation.
A good benefit plan poorly communicated is no better than a poor plan. Work with a broker who understands this and has developed tools and processes to educate you and your employees. And, make them commit to keeping you and your employees informed in the future.
Find a broker with a track record of success and the support of a strong agency. A strong agency can provide substantial leverage in negotiating your insurance rates, save you from potential risks by helping maintain compliance in employment and human resource matters, minimize your administration responsibilities, give employees an outlet for problem resolution and enhance the perception of benefits by effectively promoting and communicating the plan to employees.
Mark Avery is CEO of Power Group Companies, a full-service insurance brokerage located in Overland Park. He can be reached at (913) 491-3280 or www.pgcompanies.com.
Regulatory Update
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
On January 26, 2010, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced federal guidance to expressly prohibit texting by drivers of commercial vehicles such as large trucks and buses.
The prohibition is effective immediately.
The ban applies to all interstate drivers of commercial motor vehicles.
Truck and bus drivers who text while driving commercial vehicles (CMVs) may be subject to civil or criminal penalties of up to $2,750.
This Power Group Regulatory Update provides an overview of the texting ban, as well as the text of the guidance. Please read below for more information and contact your Power Group representative with any questions.
OVERVIEW OF THE FEDERAL BAN ON TEXTING
Reasons for the Texting Ban
The texting ban is based on the Department of Transportation (DOT) interpretation of existing Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations. In a DOT press release, Ann Ferro, FMCSA Administrator was quoted as saying, “Our regulations will help prevent unsafe activity within the cab. We want to make it crystal clear to operators and their employers that texting while driving is the type of unsafe activity that these regulations are intended to prohibit.”
FMCSA research shows that drivers who send and receive text messages take their eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds out of every 6 seconds while texting. At 55 miles per hour, this means that the driver is traveling the length of a football field, including the end zones, without looking at the road. Drivers who text while driving are more than 20 times more likely to get in an accident than non-distracted drivers. Because of the safety risks associated with the use of electronic devices while driving, FMCSA is also working on additional regulatory measures that will be announced in the coming months.
Other Electronic Devices
FMCSA acknowledges the concerns of motor carriers that have invested significant resources in electronic dispatching tools and fleet management systems and confirms that this regulatory guidance does not prohibit the use of such technology. It also does not prohibit the use of cell phones for purposes other than text messaging.
It is worth noting, however, that while fleet management systems and electronic dispatching tools are used by many of the nation’s largest trucking fleets, the DOT believes safety conscious fleet managers would neither allow nor require their drivers to type or read messages while driving. To the extent that there are fleets that require drivers to type and read messages while they are driving, the FMCSA will consider appropriate regulatory action to address the safety problem.
Compliance with State and Local Laws
In addition to the texting ban, motor carriers and drivers that are subject to FMCSA regulations must still comply with the laws, ordinances, and regulations of the jurisdiction in which the CMV is being operated. If the federal rules are stricter than local laws, the federal rule must be obeyed. Thus, in the States and localities having laws, ordinances, and regulations related to ‘‘texting’’ while driving, nontexting cell phone use, or any other similar traffic offenses, a violation of the State or local law is also a violation of the federal regulations for applicable drivers.
To view Power Group’s Regulatory Guidance on this issue, go here.
