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Manage Summertime Allergies
Warm weather and high humidity can put a strain on seasonal allergy and asthma sufferers. It's a peak time for certain types of pollen, smog, and mold. Here are some survival tips to help you manage allergies during the summer months.
Protect yourself during prime allergy time - stay indoors between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m., when outdoor pollen counts are usually the highest.
Avoid extremes - going between intense outdoor heat and indoor air conditioning can trigger an asthma attack and other allergy symptoms.
Keep pollen outdoors - wear a mask when mowing the lawn or if you know you are going to be around freshly cut grass. Also, take a shower, wash your hair, and change your clothes to remove any pollen that may have collected on your body. You should also dry clothing inside, rather than on an outside line.
Patrol your yard - be on the lookout for weeds such as nettle or ragweed and/or oak, birch, cedar, and cottonwood trees - they all can trigger allergies.
Beware of bees - if you're allergic to bees, protect yourself. Wear shoes, long pants and sleeves. It's also a good idea not to wear scented deodorants, hair products, or perfumes, as these can all attract bees.
Always be prepared for summer allergies regardless of where you are. There's no need to ruin a long-awaited vacation with an easily preventable allergy attack. Pack potential medicines in your purse or carry-on bag when traveling and bring an extra supply just in case. It's better to be over-prepared than stuck inside, feeling miserable and missing out on all the fun!
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Obesity Related Health Costs
Current and expected future healthcare costs are escalating at an alarming rate in the United States, fueled in part by the problem of overweight and obesity. Medical issues caused by employees being overweight and obese are preventable, and some of the associated costs are avoidable. Employers can take action to reduce obesity-related costs, including lost productivity and increased absence from disability. Such action includes:
- Share health information with employees and dependents to promote better awareness of health risks and encourage consumerism in healthcare decision-making.
- Provide a range of incentives to encourage wellness and healthy lifestyle behaviors.
- Improve the work environment to foster healthier habits.
At least 8 percent of private employer medical claims are attributable to health issues caused by excess weight. Medical costs are roughly 60 percent of the total employer-paid costs attributable to overweight and obesity; the remaining 40 percent is due to paid sick leave, life insurance, and disability insurance. In addition to the medical costs associated with obesity, there are also human costs. The Journal of the American Medical Association reports that obese children suffer higher levels of depression than do pediatric chemotherapy patients and report "low quality of life" at five times the rate of non-obese children.
National health leaders are sounding the alarm, calling obesity the most serious public health problem we face. Employers are demonstrating strong commitment to workplace programs, even as concern about the rising cost of employee benefits increases. The body of evidence-based information to support a return on investment is growing. Research published in Preventive Medicine showed that men over 50 years old who increase their physical activity levels had significant declines in their annual medical claims which resulted in a savings of approximately $2,000 per active person annually.
Employers should create opportunities and incentives for employees and dependents to increase their physical activity levels through both environmental changes in the workplace and health benefits incorporating financial incentives. It makes sense to rally around physical activity as a key strategy for reducing the cost burden of employees with excess weight. A recent Duke University study found that overweight workers had 13 times more lost workdays due to work-related injuries, and their medical claims were seven times higher than their fit co-workers.
Research published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine confirms the significant negative effect of obesity on productivity: high healthcare costs, lower health status, more absenteeism, and problem relationships at work. The same research showed that the quantity and quality of work improved with increasing levels of physical fitness.
Every step employers take to promote healthy weight and healthy lifestyle is a step in the right direction.
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2010 Health Savings Accounts/High Deductible Health Plan Limits
The IRS has released the limits for HSAs and HDHPs for 2010. Those limits as compared to 2009 are shown below.
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2010
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2009
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HDHP Minimum Deductible Amount
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| Individual |
$1,200
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$1,150
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| Family |
$2,400
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$2,300
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| HDHP Maximum Out-of-Pocket Amount |
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| Individual |
$5,950
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$5,800
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| Family |
$11,900
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$11,600
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HSA Statutory Contribution Amount
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| Individual |
$3,050
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$3,000
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| Family |
$6,150
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$5,950
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| Catch-Up Contributions (age 55 and up) |
$1,000
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$1,000
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Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009
On February 4, 2009, President Obama signed into law the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (the "Act"). The state children's health insurance program ("CHIP") provides health insurance for children whose families cannot afford private healthcare but do not qualify for federal Medicaid. The Act expands CHIP by providing additional special enrollment rights related to group health plan coverage. The new law also permits state subsidies of employer-provided group health premiums for eligible children and families and imposes new notice and disclosure obligations for employers that maintain group health plans.
Special Enrollment Rights
Currently, group health plans must provide special enrollment rights to certain individuals who lose eligibility for other health coverage or who acquire a new spouse or dependent. The Act extends these special enrollment rights to employees and dependents who lose eligibility under a Medicaid plan or CHIP and those who become eligible for a premium assistance subsidy under Medicaid or CHIP. Therefore, group health plan documents must be amended to provide the new special enrollment rights.
Appropriate notices of the amendment, such as a Summary of Material Modifications, should be provided to participants in accordance with the plan's existing procedures for providing such notices. Existing special enrollment notices provided to new enrollees should also be revised.
Eligible individuals must be given 60 days after the loss of coverage or determination of eligibility for assistance to request coverage under the group health plan. The effective date for these new special enrollment rights was April 1, 2009.
Premium Assistance Subsidy
The Act allows states to offer eligible low income children and their families a premium assistance subsidy to help pay for qualified employer-sponsored coverage. Qualified employer-sponsored coverage means a group health plan or health insurance coverage offered by an employer that (i) qualifies as creditable coverage as a group health plan under the Public Health Service Act, (ii) for which the employer contribution for the coverage is at least 40% and (iii) that is offered in a non-discriminatory manner. Benefits provided under a health flexible spending arrangement or high deductible health plan are not considered qualified employer-sponsored coverage.
States that provide a premium assistance subsidy may choose to pay the subsidy as a reimbursement to an employee for out-of-pocket expenses or directly to the employer. However, employers may choose to opt out of being directly paid a premium assistance subsidy on behalf of an employee.
Premium Assistance Notice Requirements
The Act requires employers that maintain group health plans in states that provide medical assistance under a Medicaid plan or child health assistance under a CHIP in the form of a premium assistance subsidy to notify their employees in writing of the potential opportunities available for premium assistance. The Department of Health and Human Services must develop national and state-specific model notices for use by employers in notifying employees of premium assistance opportunities by February 4, 2010. The effective date of the premium assistance notice requirement is the first day of the plan year beginning after the date on which model notices are first issued. This premium assistance notice requirement differs from the existing requirement to provide a notice of special enrollment rights.
Disclosure to States
Administrators of group health plans must disclose to the state, upon request, information about the benefits available under the plan if the plans' participants and beneficiaries are also covered by Medicaid or CHIP.
Penalty for Noncompliance
The Act provides for civil penalties of up to $100 a day for failure to comply with the new requirements to notify employees of premium assistance opportunities provided by their states and to disclose to the state information about the plan's benefits if participants and beneficiaries are covered by Medicaid or CHIP.
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