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BRIEFLY:
November is prime time to prepare for the 2007/2008 flu season
While flu vaccines are recommended for most people, they are particularly encouraged for those who could suffer most severely from flu-related complications. The most vulnerable populations include children, older adults, pregnant women, and those with chronic health problems. For more information, visit
http://www.hhs.gov/flu. To find a convenient location to get your flu shot, check out the Flu Clinic Locator at
http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=aqKGLXOAIlH&b=1015035&tr=y&auid=1993520.
Veterans who are enrolled in the Department of Veterans Affairs' health care system can get free flu shots at many of the VA's 153 hospitals and more than 900 outpatient clinics. Find a VA facility near you at
http://origins.usa.gov/external/external.jsp?url=http://www1.va.gov/directory/guide/home.asp?isFlash=1.
Should unhealthy people pay more for health insurance?
A new Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive Healthcare Poll finds a substantial decrease from 2006 in those who support asking people with unhealthy lifestyles to pay more for healthcare. This latest poll shows thirty-seven percent of U.S. adults think it is fair that those with unhealthy lifestyles pay higher insurance premiums than those with healthy lifestyles, compared to a majority (53%) who felt that way just about a year ago (July 2006). Similarly, one-third (35%) say it is fair for those with unhealthy lifestyles to pay higher deductibles or co-payments for their medical care, compared to half (53%) in 2006.
These are just some of the results of an online survey of 2,267 U.S. adults ages 18 and over conducted by Harris Interactive between October 8 and 10, 2007 for the Wall Street Journal Online's Health Industry Edition
(http://www.wsj.com/health).
Blagojevich implements massive health care expansion
The Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) overwhelmingly rejected the latest effort by Governor Rod Blagojevich to enact a massive universal health care plan without legislative approval. JCAR is a bi-partisan joint committee of the Illinois General Assembly that reviews state agency rulemaking for conformity with state law. Nonetheless, the governor ordered the Department of Health Care and Family Services to implement his program without legislative authority or appropriations to pay the estimated $367 million cost.
On Tuesday, November 13, JCAR voted 9-2 to prohibit the Department from using Emergency Rulemaking, a lawful process rarely used, to expand the state's Medicaid program to allow 147,000 parents and other caretakers to buy discounted health insurance through the FamilyCare program. The emergency rulemaking process is state law and agencies must meet rigorous criteria to implement rules without being subject to mandatory public comment periods.
Late last summer, the governor vetoed $463 million in so-called "pork" projects from the state's fiscal year 2008 budget to free up money for his expansion plans. Some of the vetoes stripped funding from existing health care and other programs benefiting the poor.
It was the latest ploy of the administration to enact the Governor's top priority, which thus far has been unable to garner enough support to bring the measure for a vote. No governor or state agency in recent memory has ignored the legislature in this manner and some believe the governor's action will result in a court test.
As a result of the governor's action, state paid health care will be offered by expanding the eligibility of the FamilyCare program to anyone earning up to 400 times the federal poverty level, about $82,000 for a family of four.
Despite an agency representative's claims that providing health care to the entire state population was an emergency, JCAR disagreed saying the rulemaking did not meet the criteria. However the governor contends that the legislature has no power to prevent the administration from implementing the program.
At press time, legislative leaders were studying the governor's latest move to determine their best course of action.
National Coalition on Benefits champions uniformity
The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) recently announced the formation of a new coalition committed to ensure that any health care reform initiatives protect employee health and retirement benefits across state lines.
The National Coalition on Benefits (NCB), comprised of a broad range of business associations and companies, is committed to work with Congress to maintain employers' ability to provide uniform health and retirement benefits to employees, their dependents and retirees across state and local lines and to ensure that federal health reform initiatives preserve the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).
"Employees and retirees live and work in various states throughout the country — and the ability to provide uniform coverage is essential to employers' sponsorship of health and retirement benefits," said Jeri Gillespie, NAM Vice President of human resources policy. "We should protect and incent businesses to provide the same generous benefits in Iowa as in Ohio, for example. There are many things lawmakers can do to improve health care quality and access all while preserving programs that are working now."
The central element of the ERISA framework is that employers are able to maintain uniform benefit plans. While states regulate health insurers and health insurance products, ERISA preempts states from regulating employer-sponsored benefit plans, thereby allowing employers the flexibility to best meet the needs of their employees and retirees. Through ERISA, employers are able to provide health and retirement benefits to more than 100 million American workers.
Specifically, NCB plans to advocate for:
- Employers' ability to offer and maintain uniform benefit plans across state and local lines;
- Flexibility for employers to determine how to best meet the needs of their employees and retirees;
- Simplicity and predictability in benefits administration; and
- No exceptions, waivers or carve-outs for individual states.
More information on the National Coalition on Benefits is available at http://www.coalitiononbenefits.org.
Care management leads to a healthier lifestyle
How disease management programs equal fewer hospital visits
Your health and wellness impacts your quality of life. It determines whether you can work, keep up with family obligations or have the energy to do the things you want to. That's why it's important to understand what it means to be healthy and to do what it takes to stay that way.
For many who have chronic health conditions, staying healthy involves regular visits to the doctor and an ongoing effort to manage their condition.
At Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, we help doctors manage care and give our members the tools they need. Our members' health and wellness is a high priority, and we work hard to ensure that the products and services we offer meet their needs. We also understand that existing conditions require constant monitoring on the part of both the doctor and patient.
To this end, our affordable HMO plans include care management programs for members with asthma and diabetes. These programs motivate network doctors to track patient care in a systematic manner. They also include information designed to help members stay healthy. The results — fewer hospital visits, more thoroughly educated patients, and better quality health care all around.
Our disease management programs help our members manage their care, and we continually look for opportunities to improve them. Our data over a six year period shows that the quality of care has significantly improved for HMO members with diabetes since the implementation of a program to motivate doctors to monitor diabetes care. Hospital admission rates, and the number of ER visits for HMO members with diabetes who have been in our diabetes program for at least four years, decreased from 2002 to 2006. Members with controlled diabetes had a significant decrease in ER visits and inpatient admissions, while ER visits and admission rates increased for people with poorly managed diabetes.
The HMO asthma program has focused on motivating physicians to develop written asthma action plans for patients. These plans include instructions related to daily monitoring and medications as well as emergency care. Since 2000, the percentage of members with asthma who have received a written asthma action plan from their physician within two years has increased from 21 percent to 80 percent. More than 3,300 asthma-related ER visits were prevented from 2000 to 2005. Further study shows that asthmatic members who received at least three written asthma action plans over a five-year period had a steady decline in asthma ER visits and hospital admission rates. On the other hand, asthma ER visits and admissions have increased for those who have not received a written asthma action plan. As a result, we are now encouraging primary care physicians to provide an annual written action plan to each HMO member identified as having asthma.
Preventive care programs have also led to improvements in care. The HMOs of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois monitor many preventive care services such as flu shots, childhood immunizations, breast cancer screening, cervical cancer screening and colorectal cancer screening.
Medical group-specific results for many of our programs are published for our members every year in our HMO member newsletter and can be found online and in our provider directory so that members can have information to assist them in making the best decisions for their health care needs.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois is proud to offer these programs as a part of our HMO plans, and we look forward to seeing additional positive results as they continue. Care management is a big part of what we do to ensure our members' wellbeing.
Dr. Kim Reed, senior medical director for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, and Dr. Carol Wilhoit, medical director, quality improvement for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, coauthored this article. For more information, please email Dr. Reed at
REEDK@BCBSIL.COM: or Dr. Wilhoit at WILHOITC@BCBSIL.COM. 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.
Exercise and work productivity go hand-in-hand according to Steelcase Workplace Index Survey
Steelcase, a global office environments manufacturer, today unveiled the results of the second in a three-part Workplace Index Survey on the Nature of Work in 2007. Conducted by Opinion Research Corporation (ORC), the study examines the importance of fitness in the workplace, the role companies play in encouraging employee fitness, and the impact that fitness has on productivity levels overall.
The survey of nearly 700 office workers in the United States reveals that only one-third (31 percent) of respondents exercise during work hours. In addition, just one-third of respondents have access to fitness equipment provided by their company or work in an environment that promotes fitness. More often, employers do not provide workers with this access; 62 percent of respondents cite not having an appropriate place to exercise at work as the primary reason for not doing so.
At the same time, 80 percent of workers say that exercise has or would have a positive impact on their well being and 78 percent say that exercise has or would have a positive impact on their overall productivity at work. As the nation battles increasing rates of obesity, an investment in and support of exercise at work may be a wise investment. In fact, eight out of 10 workers that wish their company did provide exercise options say they would use the equipment at least every other day if it were available.
"Exercise is critical to our health and well being, and it is very easy to let fitness fall by the wayside when working in a corporate environment with demanding schedules and workloads," said Chris Congdon, manager of corporate marketing for Steelcase. "This survey reveals a desire by employees to have access to exercise equipment at work, and/or support from their companies to exercise during the work day, which could also benefit corporations with a desire to improve worker satisfaction, wellness and productivity."
Additionally, exercise during the workday has a perceived impact on employees' frame of mind and ability to focus at work. Eighty-five percent of respondents say that exercise gives them energy to stay awake, and 79 percent use exercise to take a necessary break from the office. Fellow co-workers also play an inspirational role for others, as more than 50 percent of respondents choosing to exercise do so with colleagues for motivation.
Additional findings from the study on where, why and how people like to exercise include:
- Among those who exercise, 85 percent choose to walk, 25 percent go to a nearby gym, and 19 percent do some form of exercise at their desk.
- Of equipment on employees' wish list, the treadmill is at the top of the list (59 percent), followed by dumbbells and free weights (20 percent) or an elliptical machine (18 percent).
- Of the 69 percent of employees that do not exercise during the workday, common reasons are: not having an appropriate place to do so (62 percent), fitness is not a priority (22 percent), it is frowned upon at the workplace (19 percent) and not having enough energy during the day (14 percent).
The Steelcase Workplace Index Surveys address pertinent issues in today's work environment. This continual workforce feedback is essential to the development of Steelcase's knowledge of the workplace and to the company's product development and corporate ventures aimed to increase worker effectiveness and productivity.
Results of part three in the 2007 WPIS series examines multi-generations at work, and will be unveiled in November 2007. Past surveys have covered working on vacation, ergonomics and workspace personalization. Further information on workplace issues is available in the knowledge center on Steelcase's Web site at
http://www.steelcase.com.
Steelcase, a global leader in the office furniture industry, helps people have a better work experience by providing products, services and insights into the ways people work. The company designs and manufactures architecture, furniture and technology products. Founded in 1912 and headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Steelcase serves customers through approximately 13,000 employees and dealers at over 550 locations worldwide.
Health insurance premiums rise in 2007, less rapidly than in recent years but still faster than wages and inflation
Annual premiums for family coverage now average $12,106, with workers paying $3,281
Premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance rose an average of 6.1 percent in 2007, less than the 7.7 percent increase reported last year but still higher than the increase in workers' wages (3.7 percent) or the overall inflation rate (2.6 percent), according to the 2007 Employer Health Benefits Survey released in September by the Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research and Educational Trust. The survey can be found at
www.kff.org/insurance/7672.
The 6.1 percent average increase this year was the slowest rate of premium growth since 1999, when premiums rose 5.3 percent. Since 2001, premiums for family coverage have increased 78 percent, while wages have gone up 19 percent and inflation has gone up 17 percent.
The average premium for family coverage in 2007 is $12,106, and workers on average now pay $3,281 out of their paychecks to cover their share of the cost of a family policy.
"We're seeing some moderation in health-cost increases, but premiums for family coverage now top $12,000 annually," said Kaiser President and CEO Drew E. Altman, PhD. "Every year health insurance becomes less affordable for families and businesses. Over the past six years, the amount families pay out of pocket for their share of premiums has increased by about $1,500."
"The number of options for low wage earners is limited and the greatest burden of all health care costs falls to this segment of the population," said Health Research and Educational Trust President Mary A. Pittman, Dr. P.H. "Although the economy seems to be strong, between 2005 and 2006 the total number of uninsured still rose by five percent, including a nine percent increase in the number of uninsured children."
The annual Kaiser/HRET survey provides a detailed picture of how employer coverage is changing over time in terms of availability, costs and coverage for the 158 million people nationally who rely on employer-sponsored health insurance. It was conducted between January and May of 2007 and included 3,078 randomly selected, non-federal public and private firms with three or more employees.
Join the IMA in Chicago for the 2007 Annual Meeting
Friday, December 7, 2007 * Hotel InterContinental – Chicago
Keynote address by Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley
Sign up today at: http://www.ima-net.org/annual07.cfm
Celebrate the 115th anniversary of the IMA with founding members of the association.
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