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BRIEFLY:
IRS looks to ease HSA contribution rules
Employers that contribute to their employees' health savings accounts would be allowed to accelerate those contributions under proposed rules published by the Internal Revenue Service in late May.
Under the proposal, employers would be allowed to accelerate contributions for employees whose medical expenses are greater than what the employer had contributed to the HSA during the year. Experts say accelerating contributions would enhance the appeal of HSAs by reducing worker fears that their accounts would fail to cover large bills early in the year before employers make their contributions.
The IRS says the proposed rules would affect HSAs that are currently not part of a Section 125 program.
EPA rule will help states control fine particle air pollution
EPA recently finalized a rule outlining requirements for state plans to clean the air in 39 areas of the country where particle pollution levels do not meet national air quality standards. These state plans will lead to improved air quality for millions of Americans.
Twelve counties in Illinois are within those areas of the country that do not meet national air quality standards. They are: Cook, Dupage, Grundy, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, Will, Madison, Monroe, Randolph and St. Clair counties.
Under the Clean Air Act, states must develop plans by April 2008 for meeting the 1997 air quality standards for fine particles, or PM2.5. The Clean Air Fine Particle Implementation Rule includes detailed guidance that interprets the Clean Air Act's requirements for these plans.
The Bush Administration's clean air strategy includes the introduction of ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel and clean diesel trucks and buses, the Clean Air Nonroad Diesel Rule to reduce pollution from nonroad diesel engines and the Clean Air Interstate Rule to reduce pollution from power plants in the eastern United States. These federal programs will help all areas of the country meet particle pollution standards.
For more information visit: http://www.epa.gov/pmdesignations/.
Health care and the '08 presidential campaign
Kaiser Family Foundation website provides up-to-date polling, analysis, facts, news, video, and interviews from a broad range of sources
With health care emerging as a top domestic issue in the 2008 presidential election, the Kaiser Family Foundation recently launched a new website — health08.org — that will provide analysis of health policy issues, regular public opinion surveys, and news and video coverage from the campaign trail.
Since March, Kaiser's tracking poll on health and the 2008 election has found that health care is a top domestic issue that the public wants presidential candidates to address, trailing only Iraq on the public's overall priority list. Meanwhile, 41 percent of adults are personally worried about health care or insurance costs, topping concerns about paying their rent or mortgage, being a victim of a terrorist attack or a violent crime, losing their job, or losing money in the stock market.
Nationally, 45 million Americans do not have any health coverage. And, health insurance premiums are up 87 percent over the last six years, more than four times the growth in wages, according to the Kaiser/HRET Employer Health Benefits Survey.
"For the first time since the early 1990s, there is a buzz in the air about the potential for a major debate about the future direction of our health care system, and how the issue plays in this presidential election will frame that debate," said Kaiser President and CEO Drew E. Altman. "With health08.org, we will be there from start to finish with news and video as it happens, analysis of the issues, and tracking of where the public stands."
The new health08.org website (http://www.health08.org) — which will be free of charge and not include advertising — will serve as a hub of information about health and the election, including original content produced by Kaiser and easy access to health-related resources from the campaigns, other organizations, and news outlets. Elements of the site include:
- Analysis of health policy issues, summaries of health reform proposals, and basic facts and information about the health system from Kaiser's research staff.
- Regular Kaiser tracking surveys examining the public's views on health issues and perceptions of the presidential candidates on health care, as well as links to the latest polls by other organizations.
- Syntheses of news coverage about health and the campaign, updated frequently.
- Video and podcasts from the campaign trail, including candidate speeches, and health-related highlights from forums and debates.
- Interviews with candidates and other key players in the health reform debate.
- Dedicated pages for the candidates, with easy-to-access links to their health positions and other resources.
- A calendar of events taking place around the country and links to studies and resources from other organizations.
- A weekly email roundup of developments related to health and the electin and free syndication of content available to other websites. Sign up for the email at
http://www.health08.org/email.
Health08.org is one of a number of projects the Kaiser Family Foundation will undertake throughout the election season.
The Kaiser Family Foundation is a non-profit, private operating foundation dedicated to providing information and analysis on health care issues. The Foundation is not associated with Kaiser Permanente or Kaiser Industries.
AHRQ: Less than half of Americans are fully satisfied with their medical care
Only 48 percent of Americans age 18 and over who had gone to a doctor or medical clinic within a year of being surveyed rated their health care nine or 10 on a scale in which zero was the worst possible care and 10 was the best, according to the latest News and Numbers summary from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
Patients' perceptions of quality varied by race, ethnicity, and type of insurance.
- Only about one third of Asians (31 percent), and American Indians and Alaska Natives (37 percent) rated their care a nine or 10, compared with less than half of whites (49 percent) and blacks (46 percent). Just 43 percent of Hispanics reported receiving high quality health care.
- Slightly fewer than 60 percent of people ages 65 years and older who have Medicare, with or without additional private or public health insurance, rated their care to be the of the highest quality. This is compared with 46 percent of privately insured patients and 39 percent of uninsured Americans.
- The men and women surveyed were nearly equal in their opinions of the care quality they receive — 46 percent and 49 percent, respectively, saw their care as excellent.
This AHRQ News and Numbers summary is based on data from the 2006 National Healthcare Quality Report, which examines the quality of health care across America in four key areas—effectiveness of health care, patient safety, timeliness of care, and patient centeredness.
More information is available at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality: http://www.ahrq.gov/news/nn/nn080107.htm.
Governor proposes health care expansion by rule
Citing a constitutionally questionable executive right, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich (D) announced on August 14th that he was bypassing the Illinois General Assembly and ordering agencies under his control to initiate rulemaking to significantly expand health care to more than 700,000 individuals who currently have insufficient or no health care coverage.
The governor's proposal provides the following:
- the state would provide breast and cervical cancer screenings and treatment to anyone uninsured at an estimated cost of $50 million annually;
- the existing FamilyCare program would be expanded to cover parents up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level (about $80,000 for a family four) at an estimated cost of $43 million;
- medical home, prescription drugs and hospital reimbursement for those without access under 100 percent of the federal poverty level at a cost of $200 million;
- the existing AllKids program would be expanded to cover children 19 to 21 years old with pre-existing conditions at a cost of $15 million; and
- cash assistance to pay health insurance premiums for families earning up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level (about $60,000 for a family of four) at a cost of $155 million.
The governor also announced he would veto at least $500 million from the state's FY 2008 budget that was just passed by the Illinois General Assembly to free up money to pay for his plan. The governor said he is vetoing so-called "pork projects" and other "unnecessary" spending from the $59 billion spending plan.
The proposal comes on the heels of a spring legislative session that saw elected lawmakers nearly unanimous in rejecting the governor's proposals to implement a massive new health care program and fund it through nearly $10 billion in new taxes on Illinois employers. Despite that opposition, the governor has maintained his insistence that a health care proposal would be implemented.
The governor's latest plan does not contain any tax increases, but there is speculation that escalating annual costs will eventually require one.
Lawmakers have expressed deep concern that the governor circumvented the legislative process to implement initiatives that have little or no public support and some critics say that a court challenge may be necessary to curb the governor's actions, particularly when the administration attempts to create new programs without specific authorization to spend taxpayer's money. However, the governor has previously decried the legislature's refusal to approve his proposals and has implemented new programs without statutory authority.
The IMA will keep members informed on developments as they unfold.
Participate in the IMA's Annual Holiday Survey
Dear IMA Member:
Are you curious about what paid holidays Illinois manufacturers are providing for their employees in 2008? If so, help us answer the question by taking a quick survey. It will take less than two minutes to complete, and will provide you with valuable information.
Go to: http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?p=U27B7FMEYTS3
The survey period will close on August 31, but don't wait. Take the IMA Annual Holiday Survey today! Thank you for participating.
Donna Rogers, SPHR, HR Director, Illinois Manufacturers' Association
Reports identify state-level privacy and security solutions for secure exchange of health information
The Department of Health & Human Services' (HHS) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) recently released a set of reports titled Privacy and Security Solutions for Interoperable Health Information Exchange. The reports review 34 state Health Information Exchange plans and identify the challenges and feasible solutions for ensuring the safety and security of electronic health information exchange.
All states followed a standard core methodology, but each was provided an opportunity to tailor the process to meet their needs. As a result, states varied on several key dimensions, including degree of adoption of electronic health information exchange, health care market forces in the state, legal and regulatory conditions related to health information, demographic composition of the state, and financial status of the state.
"These reports address one of the greatest concerns that Americans have about health information technology: Will their personal data be safe?" said AHRQ Director Carolyn M. Clancy, MD.
"This work presents information on how to develop privacy and security solutions that allow for the exchange of information safely and securely," she continued.
"Work at the State and local levels is integral to our success. The number of stakeholders involved in this initiative demonstrates the magnitude of this work," said Robert Kolodner, MD, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. "The report findings and recommendations will provide ongoing guidance for local, state and federal governments as we move toward greater interoperability."
Some of the key findings point to the need for additional research and guidance on:
- Identifying different interpretations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule among States and increasing awareness among stakeholders.
- Addressing variations regarding the potential intersections between federal/state privacy laws.
- Evaluating the technologies available to protect security and privacy of individuals as well as the associated administrative processes and liabilities.
- Developing a system that accurately and consistently matches individual patients with their health record information — one that is created and updated by various health care providers/organizations.
- Developing a standard set of definitions and terms to facilitate sharing of health information. For example, terms such as medical emergency, current treatment, related entity, and minimum necessary do not have agreed-upon definitions and may increase variation as organizations attempt to meet compliance.
The reports can be downloaded from AHRQ's Health IT website, http://www.healthit.ahrq.gov.
Promoting good health is good business
Tips for developing a successful company-wide wellness strategy
It's more cost effective to prevent illness than it is to treat it. That's one of the reasons why businesses nationwide are encouraging their employees to make healthy choices. But sending a memo that says, "eat right, exercise, and get enough rest" isn't likely to inspire any real lifestyle changes.
So how can Illinois companies promote good health in a way that leads to results? At Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, we've found that it's best to develop an over-arching wellness strategy that corresponds with how we do business and what employees need to know.
The correlations between health insurance and wellness are obvious, but you don't have to be in the health care industry to advocate healthy living. In fact, good health messages can and should be applied to all types of businesses.
The bottom line is that an effective wellness program promotes healthy behaviors for everyone, regardless of their health status. The programs that work best are easy to access, easy to understand and easy to participate in. They are also consistent with the rest of the company's core messages.
To develop a cohesive program, it's important to first define what wellness means to your company. What are the health issues that affect your employees? What preventive measures can be taken? What would bring the idea of wellness to the forefront of your employees' minds? Answering questions such as these will help you formulate a wellness definition and integrate it into your company mission statement or employee code of conduct.
Of course, when forming a wellness definition it's also important to remember that being healthy means different things to different people. Peoples' health and wellness needs can be as diverse as their personalities.
With that in mind, take time to think about who your target audiences are and learn what aspects of health are important to them. This will help you come up with tools and communications strategies that answer questions your employees already have—and by giving them the answers they need, you're encouraging healthy behavior changes.
Putting your wellness strategy into action
Once you've determined your company's approach to wellness, you need to make it known. The following tips will help you get the word out and make wellness work for you.
Develop branded communications that focus on wellness.
A series of employee communications on the topics outlined in your wellness strategy can help educate and motivate. They can also help sustain positive behavioral changes. When developing your wellness communications strategy, it's important to carefully consider the following points:
- The timing of the communications. If you time them right, you can often tie wellness communications in with other company initiatives of interest.
- The type of communication tools you use—such as posters or e-mail. Think about which tools will work best for the different messages you want to convey.
- Your messaging. For example, you may want to develop a clear name or brand for your wellness campaign. That way, wellness related communications will be easy to identify. If you establish a brand, be sure to use it consistently and properly. Your communications will likely be skimmed over or ignored entirely if you under or over use your brand.
Host health-related functions at work.
Hosting health-related events at work sends a clear message to employees that wellness is important. An educational health fair can easily be folded into your open enrollment events, providing an excellent opportunity to deliver wellness communications to your employees. Or a blood drive and health screening can double as an employee volunteer activity.
Offer health programs that meet specific needs.
Any number of targeted programs can be implemented depending on employee needs and interests. Condition-specific mailings, personalized care plans or telephone calls are sometimes appropriate. And programs that help employees manage their weight or stop smoking can be offered at work to reiterate the importance of good health, and make healthy choices convenient.
Use online tools and resources.
Finally, help employees find answers to their health-related questions by providing online tools to meet their needs, or directing them to existing Web resources. There is a tremendous amount of wellness information on the Internet, so do your research and be discriminating. Providing employees with a list of good Web resources can be an excellent way to channel wellness information.
Author Paula Steiner is Senior Vice President, Marketing and Sales, for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois. For more information, please contact Ms. Steiner by email at Steinerp@bcbsil.com or by telephone at 312-653-6000. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, a division of Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), is the largest and most experienced health insurance company in Illinois. It began in 1936 as Hospital Service Corporation with the Blue Cross symbol officially adopted in 1939. HCSC is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
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