New Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Act

July 16th, 2011

Drug Testing

You are now allowed to drug-test anytime an employee is injured on the job or is involved in an incident where the employer’s property is damaged. You are no longer required to have “reasonable suspicion” to perform testing after an incident / accident. [40O.S. Section 554]

You Choose the Testing Physician

The employer can now select the physician at any time, even if the claimant has already selected a physician. Quick reporting and direction to the appropriate medical care provider helps employees get well faster and reduces cost. [85 O.S. Section 14(B)]

Light Duty Tax Credit

Bring your injured worker back to work on light duty and revive a tax credit. The credit is for wages paid to a worker on light duty for up to 90 days, not to exceed $25,000 total per year. This is an innovative reform not found in other states. [68 O.S. Section 2357.46] Read the rest of this entry »

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Can You Protect Yourself from Rising Healthcare Costs?

May 3rd, 2011

Your company’s bottom line, and your retirement savings can be impacted by the rising costs of healthcare.

As a business owner dealing with these issues can seem overwhelming. Start by reviewing your employees’ benefits package, and continue to evaluate and create solutions to enhance the healthcare options of your company.

By updating your healthcare benefits through voluntary coverage, like dental, and vision, wellness programs, or a tailored program, your company can gain an edge on the competition.

Wellness programs can offer cash or credit type incentives to participating employees, for example; reaching and maintaining healthy cholesterol levels, or, weight loss goals set by a healthcare professional. Wellness incentives create healthier, more productive employees that in turn cost your company less in the long term. Read the rest of this entry »

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The Rise in Healthcare Costs

April 30th, 2011

Companies Hope to Save Money Over Time by Offering Wellness Incentives to Their Employees

The cost of health insurance premiums has risen 36% for employers, and 45% for employees over five years. For most employers, the potential savings promised to them under the new healthcare law does not seem worth waiting for. Many (about a third) of the firms will opt out of aggressive measures to cut health care cost and go a new route: Wellness incentives.

Healthier workers are more productive, maintain a better attendance record, and require fewer and cheaper healthcare treatments. It is predicted that one third of firms will try new wellness incentives, up just 7% currently. Read the rest of this entry »

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Your Employees on Social Media

March 28th, 2011

Social media has its place in business, but the rules that professional organizations must abide by to gain a successful following on websites like Facebook and Twitter are often made up as they go along, often resulting in a trial and error approach.

According to Kiplinger (http://www.kiplinger.com) readers learned not to discipline workers who bad-mouth you on Facebook. The National Labor Relations Board says the comments from those workers are protected activity, just like similar complaints shared by workers around the water cooler in the office. Even though the comment(s) are visible to everyone in that person’s social network and your organization’s reputation is on the line, the opportunity to connect with people that are talking about you on social media sites is there, which is the primary purpose of a company having a presence on Facebook or Twitter in the first place. Just like in the real world where we speak face to face with each other, people are talking about your company. Read the rest of this entry »

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Grandfathered Medical Plans Patients Protection and Affordable Care Act (March 23, 2010)

January 8th, 2011

1. What is a Grandfathered Health Plan?

Grandfathered health plans are defined as a group health plan or health insurance coverage in which an individual was enrolled on March 23, 2010.  Plans that retain grandfathered status are not required to comply with all components of the law including for example:

  • No cost share for preventive care
  • Independent appeals processes
  • Coverage for clinical trials
  • New non-discrimination rule

2. To maintain Grandfathered plan status (retain pre March 23, 2010 benefits) the Employer cannot do the following:

  • Raise co-insurance charges
  • Significantly raise co-payments
  • Significantly raise deductibles
  • Reduce employer contribution by 5% Read the rest of this entry »

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Employer Health Care Reform Timeline – Calendar Year Plan

January 8th, 2011

2010

January 1, 2010
- Small business tax credit
- Adoption assistance exclusion increased

1st Quarter, 2010
- Accounting charge – retiree drug subsidy becomes taxable

March 23, 2010
- Auto enrollment required (if more than 200 employees), effective pursuant to DOL regulations (not issued yet)

March 30, 2010
- Income exclusion for health plan coverage of any child through end of calendar year before attainment of age 27 Read the rest of this entry »

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Is Your Self-Funded Client’s Plan Document Leaking?

December 31st, 2010

By Jim Hoitt
Vice President of Sales
R.E. Moulton, a OneAmerica Company

Somewhere in your house there is a leaky faucet. You know the one—it was there when you bought the house and it never gets much attention. It’s slowly dripping, day in and day out. Once in a while you look underneath, jiggle the handle a bit, and try to will it back to working order. It’s wasteful. It’s annoying. It’s costly. Someday you’ll do that whole bathroom over. It’s on your list of things to get to this weekend, as it has been for many weekends past.

Somewhere in your portfolio of group health plan clients, there is a leaky self-funded plan document. You know the one—it was the same plan document that was in place when you took over broker of record, and it never gets much attention. It’s antiquated and full of plan amendments that conflict with each other. It’s slowly leaking employer funds, day in and day out. You glance through it once in a while and make some notes, but never quite get there. It’s wasteful, annoying, and costing your client big money in small doses over time. Read the rest of this entry »

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Article of Interest

January 9th, 2010

Help Desk : Your employees’ health can affect your company’s well-being

Fast-food lunches and afternoon trips to the snack machine, lengthy commutes and overtime fatigue, can take a toll on workers’ health. But employers also pay a price for these habits in the form of increased sick time, decreased productivity, and rising health insurance premiums.

Help Desk Your employees’ health can affect your company’s well-being

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