 Agent and Consultant Briefing
April 2009 |
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Upcoming Alliance Events Take on Heart Disease and Health Reform |
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You'll have two opportunities to hear from notable speakers in April and May. On April 30, learn what you can do about one of the costliest health concerns at Don't Let Heart Disease Flatline Your Bottom Line. And May 14, at our Annual Seminar, we're featuring Michael L. Millenson with Revolution Not Reform: The Battle for Better Care.
Don't Let Heart Disease Flatline Your Bottom Line
You'll learn about worksite strategies that address heart disease and how they can lower health care costs, reduce absences, and increase productivity. Visit our Web site today to learn more and register.
Revolution Not Reform: The Battle for Better Care
We are living at a time like no other. For health care, the time is right for change. Come learn how economic, technological, and consumer forces are converging to create a world in which health care can provide value in both dollars and lives. You'll learn:
- How actions at the national level impact the local marketplace and your organization.
- The new model of health care and how it can save money, lives, and jobs.
- The obstacles to change.
- Why we need revolution, not reform.
- How you can be a leader of the value-based health care revolution.
Learn more and register today.
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| Tools Help Employees Stay Healthy at www.the-alliance.org |
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Did you know employees can find tools to stay healthy at www.the-alliance.org? From the home page, when they select Improve Your Health and Wellness from the orange box they'll be connected to:
- QualityCounts™ for Employees - Information on making smarter health decisions.
- Healthy Living Discounts - Employees that access The Alliance network can find discounts that will help them improve their body, mind and spirit.
- Diabetes Toolbox -
Resources to learn how to live well with diabetes.
- Patient Safety Toolkit -
Topics include getting safer care, managing medications, and preparing for a hospital visit.
- BabyLove Toolkit -
Free resources for pregnant employees.
- How to be a Better Health Care Consumer -
In this new feature, we've added presentations on quality and cost, making the most of a doctor's visit, and managing prescriptions.
Be sure to check out these resources today.
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| Congressman Ryan Meets with Alliance Members |
On February 17, Alliance members in Congressman Paul Ryan's district had an opportunity to meet with him at Alliance member Data Dimensions, to discuss his Roadmap for America's Future proposal and other health policy issues. This event was part of The Alliance's efforts to help lawmakers better understand the employer perspective when it comes to critical health care policy decisions, and to help members better understand important policy initiatives being discussed on both the federal and state levels. At the event Ryan discussed his Roadmap proposal, first introduced last May, which is a blueprint for reforming the U.S. health care system through a combination of tax credits and transparency initiatives, modifying the Medicare and Social Security programs for individuals under the age of 55, and reforming the individual income and corporate tax codes. Thanks to Data Dimensions for sponsoring the event.
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| New Book Available for Your Employees: 100 Smart Choices |
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Want to help employees feel better than ever? A new resource from The Alliance - 100 Smart Choices: Easy Ideas for Living Healthier and Happier - can help. It is available to Alliance members at a discount and includes tips to help employees:
- Feel better than ever
- Handle everyday symptoms
- Eat well
- Stress less
- Take charge of their health
- Quit smoking
- Make the right health care decisions
- And much more
100 Smart Choices: Easy Ideas for Living Healthier and Happier replaces the Taking Care of Yourself series. We'll be sending all Alliance members a sample copy in the next month. You can also use this order form to order your copy today.
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| Supporting Employees During Times of Grief |
While death is unpredictable, there are things employers can do to meet the needs of their employees as they face the death of a loved one. HospiceCare is offering an educational series to help employers help employees during those difficult times. April 15 - Employees Who are Caregivers - Learn the impact on employees of caring for an ill or dying loved one. May 6 - Children in Bereavement - Learn how to support employee-parents as they manage a child's grief. June 3 - Words That Comfort - Learn how to address the discomfort of interacting with grieving employees. All sessions are from 7:30 - 9 a.m. at HospiceCare, Inc., 5395 E. Cheryl Parkway in Fitchburg and there is no fee. To register, or for more information, e-mail Brandi Davis. Back to top |
| Two Alliance Members Win Governor's Worksite Wellness Award |
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Governor Jim Doyle has named Alliance member, Rock County, Janesville, as a Governor's Worksite Wellness Award winner.
To apply for the award, they completed the Wisconsin Worksite Wellness Award application. Points are awarded based on what approaches the wellness program takes toward:
- Development of a worksite wellness program infrastructure
- Worksite wellness planning and health education
- Health screening and disease prevention and management
- Physical activity, nutrition, mental health, tobacco use, alcohol/drug interventions
- Safety and injury prevention
- Emergency medical response plan
- Assessment and evaluation of the wellness program
The Rock County program uses clinical HRAs as part of its self-funded health benefit plan and the data served as a strategic planning tool to tailor wellness programming. The establishment of a true team in the Health and Fitness Committee, establishing a culture that promotes wellness and healthy living, and using approaches that meet employee preferences have been critical to their success.
Specific tactics targeting physical activity and nutrition include on-site fitness activities, long-term physical activity campaigns, healthy snack bowls, healthy recipe contests, healthy snack days, and changing vending machine contract language to incorporate more healthy options. The team also offers chair massages to ease employee stress as well as their first-ever health fair, which employees asked to have again in 2009. The committee used the Wisconsin Worksite Wellness Resource Kit as a guide for implementing and evaluating their program. Learn more about the Healthy Worksites Initiative and the Governor's Worksite Wellness Award and see all the winners. You can also read more about Rock County's self-funded benefit plan in this case study.
Do you have a mutual client with success to share? Let us know.
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| HRA Survey Results |
Recently, you received a brief five-question poll from us, on the behalf of Renee Kennedy, of Alliance member Webcrafters, Inc. The poll focused on how you are using Health Risk Assessments (HRAs). We've compiled the results and summarized them here.
If you are interested in conducting a similar short poll, contact our member services department and we'll work with you.
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| QualityCounts for Employees |
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 The Alliance encourages employers to distribute the QualityCounts for Employees information piece to their employees.
- When You Don't Know What to Say to Your Health Care Provider: Three good questions to ask.
Did you know you can find past issues of QualityCounts for Employees in the Employer Resource Center? After you log in, select "Consumer Newsletters" from the Employee Health and Education tab. Your employees can access them too at http://www.the-alliance.org/health_wellness.aspx.
You can also connect with this direct link to the Employer Resource Center but you will need to log in first. If you don't know your password, call Jen Linden, 800.223.4139, x 6635, and she will be happy to assist you.
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| News You Can Use |
The Alliance highlights health care and benefit management news for employers in News You Can Use with a link to take you to the original story or report.
- Employee Perspectives on Health Care - Read more about the attitudes of American workers surrounding their employer-sponsored health care programs.
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| About the Agent and Consultant Briefing |
Each month, The Alliance Agent and Consultant Briefing delivers the latest news to insurance agents and consultants about Alliance services, programs and events as well as information on health benefit trends, issues, and ideas of interest to our mutual clients. Subscriptions are available on a complimentary basis. To subscribe, please send an e-mail message with your name and agency to the Sales and Member Services Department. Read past issues of this newsletter on-line at www.the-alliance.org/agentresources.aspx.
Cathy Lanser, Editor
Melanie Cannon, Designer | |
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The Alliance encourages employers to distribute the