The HR Team Summer 2010 Newsletter
Happy Summer. Communications are a great thing, when they work. We often think a conversation is the most simple and direct route to communicate our message. However, sometimes, that isn't always the case.
A number of years ago, my son came up to me and told me about a video he watched at a friend's house. He said that it was really funny, and wanted to show me. I asked him where it was, and he said (at least I thought he said) "U2". U2? I didn't know they made funny music videos. Nonetheless, I went to the U2 website and my son was not pleased. Let's just say, he was a bit frustrated. A week or so passes and my son comes home with a post it note, on it was www.youtube.com.
Has that ever happened to you? Sometimes, communications in families, companies, organizations, you name it, can simply break down, and we need an intermediary to help smooth things along. Obviously, they are not as easily solved with a post it note, but you would be surprised how an outside perspective can help smooth things along.
As always, The HR Team is here to help you with the myriad of people issues that occur in the workplace. So feel free to contact us to discuss.
The Affordable Care Act and "Grandfathered" Health Plans.
Some of the first provisions of the Affordable Care Act go into effect this fall. Many companies will be able to avoid and/or delay enforcement of some of the provisions by "grandfathering" their plans.
However, all health plans - whether or not they are grandfathered plans - must provide certain benefits for plan years starting on or after September 23, 2010 including:
- No lifetime limits on coverage;
- No rescissions of coverage when people get sick and have previously made an unintentional mistake on their application;
- Extension of parents' coverage to young adults under 26 years old;
In addition, employer plans must have:
- No coverage exclusions for children with pre-existing conditions; and
- No "restricted" annual limits (e.g., annual dollar-amount limits on coverage below standards to be set in future regulations).
Grandfathered health plans will be able to make routine changes to their policies and maintain their status. Plans will lose their grandfathered status if they choose to make significant changes that reduce benefits or increase costs to consumers. If a plan loses its grandfathered status, those insured in those plans will gain additional new benefits including:
- Coverage of recommended prevention services with no cost sharing; and
- Patient protections such as guaranteed access to OB-GYNs and pediatricians.
Under the Affordable Care Act, these requirements are applicable to all new plans, and existing plans that choose to make the following changes that would cause them to lose their grandfathered status.
Compared to their policies in effect on March 23, 2010, grandfathered plans:
- Cannot Significantly Cut or Reduce Benefits.
- Cannot Raise Co-Insurance Charges.
- Cannot Significantly Raise Co-Payment Charges. Grandfathered plans will be able to increase co-pays by no more than the greater of $5 (adjusted annually for medical inflation) or a percentage equal to medical inflation plus 15 percentage points.
- Cannot Significantly Raise Deductibles. Grandfathered plans can only increase these deductibles by a percentage equal to medical inflation plus 15 percentage points.
- Cannot Significantly Lower Employer Contributions. Grandfathered plans cannot decrease the percent of premiums the employer pays by more than 5 percent.
- Cannot Add or Tighten an Annual Limit on What the Insurer Pays.
- Cannot Change Insurance Companies.
Of course, this summary is not all inclusive, and not intended to provide advice in any way. Additional information on health care reform, including complete regulations, newly issued fact sheets, model notices, and more, can be found on the Employee Benefits Security Administration ("EBSA") website.
Confused? Need help? Be sure to contact The HR Team.
If You Want to Sell Out and Retire, Make Sure You Are Replaceable.
One mistake too many small business owners make: They wear too many hats.
As the owner, manager, tech expert, worker and boss, they are irreplaceable. No individual could buy their business and run it profitably.
Business owners have often poured their lives and savings into the firm, believing that its value will grow. They count on selling it so they can retire. But if no one can replace them, they are out of luck and out of money.
It happens when customers want to deal only with the boss for a sale or for customer service. The owner is overworked and the assistants are under utilized.
John Warrillow, author of Built to Sell: Turn Your Business into One You Can Sell, says the most important step is to have a business that is scalable. That means:
- Your products or processes are teachable: You can explain them to someone or have technology that can handle the sale when you aren't there.
- The products have to be valuable, things that prospective customers want.
- The sales should be repeatable. A scalable product has to have a consumable element that forces customers to buy them again.
Warrillow, who has started and subsequently sold four businesses, gives the example of a photography business that takes class pictures.
It has a formula for getting kids to assemble in a room, settle down quickly and smile broadly. The next year, their contract with the school system is renewed.
How to Avoid Heat Stroke
If you become overheated when spending hours outdoors in hot weather, you could lose your ability to sweat. That can cause heatstroke, in which body temperature can rise to 104 degrees. It can cause brain damage or cardiac arrest.
To keep your cool and avoid a heat stroke, drink a lot of fluids, about a half ounce per pound of body weight daily. Water and sports drinks are better than carbonated drinks. Wear a hat and light-colored clothing.
If you experience dry mouth, dizziness, nausea and fatigue, you need to take action immediately. Find a cool, shaded area. Get in front of a fan or get into your car and turn the air conditioner on high. If you don't feel better in a few minutes, have someone take you to a first-aid station or emergency room.
Fun Facts About America's Favorite Summertime Treat
Call it a dog, sausage or frankfurter; it's been around since before the 9th century BC. Homer's Odyssey refers to a man by a roaring fire waiting impatiently for his sausage to cook.
In the centuries that followed, many references to the sausage are recorded throughout history.
In the 19th century, German immigrants came here and brought their sausages and their dachshund dogs with them.
In 1867, a German butcher opened a stand in Coney Island in New York and sold 3,684 "dachshund" sausages on milk rolls. A cartoon was drawn featuring the sausages, but the cartoonist didn't know how to spell dachshund, so he called them hot dogs. The name stuck.
A study done a few years ago indicated that Americans eat more than 16 billion hot dogs each year. They eat 150 million on the 4th of July alone.
We now know that, health wise, the hot dog has a bad reputation. It contains 14 to 16 grams of fat. But we eat them anyway, especially during the month of July.
Nutritionists at the Mayo Clinic recommend choosing a fat-free dog or one that has 2 grams of fat or less. They taste pretty good, especially with the toppings, and have only about 50 calories each.
The reduced-fat dog is their second choice. It contains 7 to 10 grams of fat and 100 to 120 calories. They are made with beef, chicken or turkey, but their taste isn't necessarily better than that of a fat-free hot dog.
If you are a vegetarian, or someone who is limiting red meat, try the meatless hot dog. They are soy based with 0 to 6 grams of fat and no cholesterol. Condiments are needed to liven up the flavor. (All hot dogs contain 200 to 400 milligrams of sodium.)
Health experts recommend boiling or microwaving. Grilling can cause charring, which isn't healthy.
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