The IRS, EBSA and HHS developed the new group wellness program standards to implement Section 1201 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). PPACA Section 1201 lets group health plans offer wellness programs, but it prohibits plans from using the programs to discriminate against people with health problems. The federal agencies — the» Read Full Article

More attention is being paid to Presenteeism than ever before. If you were to google Presenteeism, you’ll get the long-standing definition: going to work while one is sick. At R&R, we believe that Presenteeism is much more than that. We include anything that could hinder the employee from performing at their very best or maximum capacity. Of» Read Full Article

Maurice Evans, Jr., director of HR for Integral Group, LLC had perfect vision when he educated his workforce about the fact that diabetes can complicate vision. If employees can’t see, then they certainly can’t see to do their job!  Great point! Takeaway – better vision = increased productivity! Evans saw a 30% increase of vision plan participation by» Read Full Article

A recent survey commissioned by Regus, a provider of flexible workplace options, revealed that stress is on the rise for workers worldwide. Stress-related conditions account for: 75-90% of all doctor visits 30-50% of new disability benefit claims Stunning facts from Regus stress report revealed in this infographic. With almost half of respondents globally reporting that» Read Full Article

What we know for a fact:  healthier employees recover more quickly from a work-related injury, and are actually less likely to even be injured. If Healthier Employees = Less Work Comp Injuries and Less Work Comp Claims, then another way of reducing work comp costs is to improve the health of your employees. How does that» Read Full Article

Experts predict that by the year 2020, 25% of the US workforce will be 55 years or older.  Couple this statistic with the fact that most people are working past the traditional retirement age of 65 and organizations need to pay special attention to this sector of the workforce. On average, older workers are injured» Read Full Article

Has your company considered the link between obesity and occupation injury? Journal of Obesity published a recent study by Ian Janssen, et al., which examines this relationship.  A sample of 7,678 adult Canadian workers, were placed into normal weight, overweight, and obese categories based on their BMI body mass index.  Findings show obese workers were more» Read Full Article

NorthBay Adventure, a small Maryland adventure camp for 6th graders with 30 employees, is making then news because they became self-insured last year. As a result, they are saving 45% on their health care insurance costs, and they have basically removed themselves from the ACA requirements. As noted in the article from Kaiserhealthnews.org, self-insuring is a loophole for» Read Full Article

We’ve started a new group on LinkedIn to conglomerate all the information we have been publishing on Obamacare. As well, we will give pointers for business owners to survive the exchange nightmare, keep employees happy, continually offer great benefits for recruitment talent and most importantly for everyone’s sake – keep your profit! Please join our» Read Full Article

Safely caring for others is a full-time commitment.  R&R Insurance Services always recognizes the expertise and commitment of our health care customers and their employees, especially during Patient Safety Awareness Week – March 3-9, 2013. Here are some ways to promote patient safety in your organization: Patient Safety Get Involved: available from Department of Veterans Affairs Medication Errors» Read Full Article