Issue: # 113

<April 22, 2014

Watch this Wellness Video.

Dear :

The word is getting out on the Massachusetts Wellness Credit! We are trying to communicate this to all our clients via email and in person at renewal. Some of our employers are already spending money on Safety consultants, uniforms, goggles, defibrillator machines, CPR training & first aid, gym memberships etc.

After talking with employers we are finding a variety of creative ways to introduce wellness.

Check out some of the ideas we are working on:

* Daily Lunch Hour Walking Club

*Safe Stretching for Field Guys

* Biggest Loser Weight Contest

* On Site Self Defense Class for Women

* CPR and first aid training

Let us help you qualify for a State Tax Credit and create a new program to initiate Healthy Lifestyles! For More Information, Commonwealth of Massachusetts Wellness Credit.

We can't think of any reasons why not !. E-mail us ,

Sincerely,

Bill Randell CLU ChFC

Vanessa Costa CLU,CHFC,

Blue Cross Healthy Actions

Another way to promote wellness compliments of Blue Cross is the Healthy Actions Rider which can be added to your Blue Cross plan. It costs very little to implement:

1 employee 2.5% of premium
2-9 employees 1.25% of premium
10-99 employees .04% of premium

Here is an example of a 4 person group that recently adopted the program. It will cost 1.25% of premium, based on a monthly premium of 2,000 that will equal $300 for the year. Each employee can earn $300 or $1,200 for the entire group. So the company spends $300 and the employees can get up to $1,200 back.

There is more! The second part of Healthy Actions is the employer also gets money back based on participation:

20-49% 1.25% of annual premium
50-79% 2.50% of annual premium
80-100% 5.00% of annual premium

If this group has 100% participation (all 4 employees) it will get 5% of the annual premium back or in this case $2,400. For a total annual outlay of $300, employees can get up $1,200 and the employer up to $2,400!!

The key to Healthy Actions is being able to convince your employees to participate and complete the program. Of course Advantage Benefits can help you with that too!

Clinics versus Emergency Room

Every day health insurance plans come out with new co-payments and variations. The goal of all of these changes is to lower the cost of claims. Look no further then the Emergency co-payment which has the deductible being applied for most health insurance plans and the co-payment themselves being increased.

Health insurance plans allow members to obtain non-urgent medical care without an appointment for a limited set of services, including flu shots and treatment for colds and ear infections. These clinics, typically located in certain pharmacies around the state, can offer a more efficient setting than a hospital emergency room, and can be more convenient than many doctors' offices because they are open during evening and weekend hours.

Most importantly the cost of these Limited Service Clinics (LSC's) is much less for the health insurance plan and they pass these savings on to the subscriber by charging a lower office co-payment! Call the number on your member ID and ask them for facilities in your are before you rush to the ER!!

Locally, a second Ready-Med has opened in Auburn to compliment the one on Route 9 in Shrewsbury.

Pediatric Dental

As your health insurance plan renews this year, every carrier has had to add a pediatric dental benefits for dependents age 19 and and under. Every carrier has added there own version of benefits and networks to be complaint with ACA (Obamacare).

If you or your employees have children age 19 and under remind them to look into the pediatric dental benefits at renewal, which are included in the rates, and utilize the benefit.

Mass Connector Authority & COBRA

Still having trouble. The OPEN enrollment has ended and will not be back again until December 1st for an effective date of January 1st. Individuals, however, can sign up if they have a qualifying event; for example, they lose their job.

Here is one huge caveat. If they exercise their COBRA rights and join the employer plan, they can not enroll with the Connector and need to wait until the open enrollment period. What do you do?

Tell employees, who have lost their health insurance benefits and considering COBRA that they should look into their options with the Connector Authority before they sign up for COBRA!