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National Business Group on Health Newsletter, April 2013

Articles include: [1] Employer Investments in Improving Health; [2] Employers Blast Fees From New Health Law; [3] Reshaping Health Care: Best Performers Leading the Way; [4] Employee Health-plan Options Shrinking to One with a High Deductible; and [5] Are CDHP Enrollees the Ultimate Health Care Consumers?

Statement of National Business Group on Health: Hearing Titled 'Addressing the Health in Health Care: Nutrition, Prevention and Wellness Practices' (PDF)

9 pages. Excerpt: Today's hearing is focused on defining efforts in health care, industry and communities that are effective in addressing the problems of poor nutrition, obesity, and related chronic disease. These are problems affecting every state, including Nebraska. Adult obesity rates continue to rise in 23 states, and have not decreased in any state; Nebraska ranks 20th among states in adult obesity prevalence (Trust for America's Health, 2009). Rates of obesity among children (2 -19) have more than tripled since 1980 and may have leveled off; CDC research reports no statistically significant change between 2003-2004 and 2005-2006 (Ogden et al., 2008).

Newsletter from National Business Group on Health, June 2013

Articles include: [1] Final Wellness Program Rules; [2] Health Care's Service Fanatics; [3] AAFP, Others Urge Hospitals to Stop Early Elective Deliveries; [4] Employees Opening Health Savings Accounts in Record Numbers; [5] Wal-Mart's Super Counterintuitive Health Care Plan; and [6] Designing Benefits That Fit the Need.

Business Group on Health 2023 Health Care Strategy and Plan Design Survey

"After experiencing no increase in actual health care cost from 2019 to 2020, employers experienced a significant return to rising costs, with a median 2021 cost increase of 8.2%.... [E]mployers expect to cover 82% of the cost of employee coverage in 2022, up from 80% the year before ... Large employers overwhelmingly (99%) said they were concerned about prescription drug trend.... Long-term mental health issues, both observed and anticipated, are the leading health-related impact of the pandemic[.]"

'In the News' Newsletter by the National Business Group on Health, February 2014

Topics include: [1] Another modest rise for health care costs; [2] Drug shortages still have major impact on patient care; [3] E-cigarettes spark debate; [4] Employers focus on financial wellness; and [5] Health care costs higher for smokers after surgery.

Midwest Business Group on Health Comment Letter to IRS on 'Cadillac Tax' (IRS Notice 2015-16) (PDF)

"The Cadillac tax is a unique revenue generating mechanism that presumably targets excessively generous employer-sponsored health insurance packages, thereby increasing incentives for the prudent and efficient use of care. The tax is not intended to work at cross purposes with the general concept of employer-sponsored insurance, undermine the overall movement toward consumer directed care or hinder an employer's ability to offer cost effective strategies for improving the health and wellbeing of their workforce. The regulatory implementation of Section 4980I must serve these narrowly tailored objectives."

National Business Group on Health Sees Profound Implications for Corporate Wellness Programs from EEOC Lawsuit Against Honeywell International

"The EEOC is suing Honeywell International over a wellness program that provides financial incentives to employees and their spouses who undergo biometric screenings and participate in smoking cessation programs.... Wellness programs with incentives for biometric screenings are prevalent: According to a survey by the National Business Group on Health and Fidelity Investments, 95% of employers offer a health risk assessment, biometric screening or other wellness program in 2014. About three in four (74%) employers use incentives to engage employees in these programs." [EEOC v. Honeywell Int'l Inc., No. 14-cv-04517-ADM-TNL (D. Minn., petition filed Oct. 27, 2014)]

National Business Group on Health Newsletter, May 2013

Articles include: [1] When Your Surgery Goes Wrong, Hospitals Profit; [2] Implementing PPACA: The Time is Now; [3] A Debate on Not Hiring Smokers; and [4] A Sharp Rise in ADHD Diagnosis.

Dallas-Fort Worth Business Group on Health Starts Health Strategy Program to Help Employers Ensure Their Health Benefits Improve the Health of Their Employees

Excerpt: The Texas Health Strategy Project is part of the American Health Strategy Project, a national initiative sponsored by the Washington-based National Business Coalition on Health, which was designed to improve the health of employees and their families, promote wellness and prevention, and better manage health care costs.

16th Annual Towers Watson/National Business Group on Health Employer Survey on Purchasing Value in Health Care

To help us assess emerging trends in employer-sponsored health care programs, nearly 600 survey participants provided detailed information about their health care programs, their strategies and practices, and the results of their efforts to manage health benefit costs and improve employee health.