In past years, the Diversified Group staff has exchanged Christmas gifts with one another. However, this year they decided to give to charity instead and they invited all to join in! They chose to donate to Operation E.L.F. (Embracing Lonely Families) which supports Connecticut Military Families dealing with stresses and hardships during the holiday season. [...]
Several studies show an increase in the number of companies choosing self-insurance as well as an expectation that this trend will continue. “Between 2013 and 2015, the proportion of midsized companies with 100 to 499 employees that were self-insured increased 19%, to 30%. The percentage of small firms with fewer than 100 employees that self-funded [...]
Vitamin-sized cameras, referred to as edible electronics, are helping doctors examine areas that are very tough to get to, such as parts of the small intestine. Medtronic’s Pill Cam uses up to two mini cameras, a light and up to 10 hours of battery life to travel through the GI tract taking photos at up [...]
Article as seen in KHN (Kaiser Health News) on November 9, 2016 written by Julie Rovner After six controversial years, the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, may be on the way out, thanks to the GOP sweep of the presidency and both houses of Congress Tuesday. “There’s no question Obamacare is dead,” said insurance industry [...]
Article as seen in Hartford Business on October 26, 2016 written by John Stearns Total health benefits cost per employee increased 2.2 percent in Connecticut this year, about on par with the nation, to an average of $13,910 per worker, according to results of Mercer’s annual health benefits survey released today. But the cost was [...]
Article as seen in Johns Hopkins Carey Business School on September 7, 2016 Hospitals’ CT Scan And Anesthesiology Departments On Average Charge More Than 20 Times Their Costs Hospitals on average charged more than 20 times their own costs in 2013 in their CT scan and anesthesiology departments ― suggesting that hospitals strategically use “chargemaster” markups [...]
In a study published in the journal titled Academic Emergency Medicine, ER physicians in 29 states showed that patients often leave decision making to their physician because the matter is too complicated for them to weigh in. To help patients and loved ones better share in decision making, some hospitals are developing apps that can [...]
A recent survey of more than 1,000 workers showed that allowing people to bring their pets to work can go a long way to build community and reduce stress. Experience shows that people converge around pets, especially dogs, promoting friendly conversations that otherwise wouldn’t have taken place.
Article as seen in Benefits Pro on October 12, 2016 written by Cindi A. Slater M.D. Open enrollment is upon us and for the majority of employers, that means offering employees a high deductible health plan. It is also the time of year when benefits professionals are most likely to remind employees to shop around [...]
Beginning in 2014 and continuing through 2016, employers and other sponsors of self-funded health plans, as well as insurance companies offering insured health plan products are subject to the Affordable Care Act’s transitional reinsurance fee. This fee was designed to fund reinsurance payments to health insurance issuers to cover high-risk individuals in the individual market. [...]
