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Category: Cosby Insurance Group

Watch: Employees in Pennsylvania Company Learn of Increased Health Costs Due to Obamacare

This video accurately describes the new ACA law and the affect its having on many Americans that work and are reasonably healthy. However, a similar video could be produced for a like small employer just across the street from this PA employer but a employer who is unhealthy high risk. The truth is they will both meet in the middle at the same place. Basically, if you have your health and money you will pay more under ACA. And the reverse is true if you are unhealthy and without money. Watch the video.

Read the full report here.

Contact Steven Cosby with questions or to request more information and to schedule a healthcare plan evaluation, savings analysis or group plan solution for your company.

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CDC 5-DAY

KISS: Acronym from long ago that I will never forget its meaning: Keep It Simple Stupid!

But, I can hardly remember its creator. Wikipedia tells me it was the Navy. Sounds correct. Then leave it to another government agency to promote one for wellness. CDC 5-Day. Since its inception, the 5 A Day Program has become the largest public–private partnership for encouraging better nutrition. It brings together a broad coalition of educators, health care providers, food producers and retailers, researchers, and government agencies from all levels.

Read the full report here.

Contact Steven Cosby with questions or to request more information and to schedule a healthcare plan evaluation, savings analysis or group plan solution for your company.

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Virginia Is One of the Four Most Important States to Watch on Obamacare’s Medicaid Expansion

#2 Virginia – One of newly-elected Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s (D) priorities for 2014 has been convincing the state to expand the Medicaid program. In order to get there, he’s going to have to get the Republican-controlled Virginia House of Delegates on board — and right now, they appear to be an incredibly tough sell. Senior members of the Virginia House Republicans declared last week “that eligibility for Medi­caid will not be expanded this year.” If there’s any glimmer of hope, it’s probably a new report released Tuesday by McAuliffe’s Health and Human Resources agency estimating that expanding Medicaid would save the state $1 billion over nine years.

Read the full report here.

Contact Steven Cosby with questions or to request more information and to schedule a healthcare plan evaluation, savings analysis or group plan solution for your company.

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Federal Wellness Guide

Employers continue to offer programs that help employees identify issues with their health and engage in healthy behavior. These include offering their employees the opportunity to complete a health risk assessment, and offering a variety of wellness programs that promote healthier lifestyles, including better diet and more exercise. Some employers have begun to collect biometric information from employees (e.g., cholesterol levels and body mass index) and are using it as part of their wellness and health promotion programs.

Almost one-in-four employers (24%) offering health benefits provide employees with an opportunity to complete a health risk assessment. A health risk assessment includes questions about medical history, health status, and lifestyle, and is designed to identify the health risks of the person being assessed. Large firms (200 or more workers) are more likely than smaller firms to ask employees to complete a health risk assessment (55% vs. 23%). Among these firms, 54% of large firms (200 or more workers) report that they provide a financial incentive to employees that complete the assessment.

But for smaller firms, cost and resources to implement these programs is a challenge. The Federal Resource Guide is a good start for many small business.

Read the full report here.

Contact Steven Cosby with questions or to request more information and to schedule a healthcare plan evaluation, savings analysis or group plan solution for your company.

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All Ye Seeking Wisewoman

Oh, we all are seeking the wise woman. But the CDC has another take. The WISEWOMAN program is administered through CDC’s Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention (DHDSP). The WISEWOMAN program provides low-income, under-insured or uninsured women with chronic disease risk factor screening, lifestyle programs, and referral services in an effort to prevent cardiovascular disease. The priority age group is women aged 40–64 years.

CDC funds 21 WISEWOMAN programs, which operate on the local level in states and tribal Organizations. WISEWOMAN programs provide standard preventive services including blood pressure and cholesterol testing. WISEWOMAN programs also offer testing for diabetes. Women are not just tested and referred, but can also take advantage of lifestyle programs that target poor nutrition and physical inactivity, such as healthy cooking classes, walking clubs, or lifestyle counseling. Women who smoke are encouraged to quit and are referred to proactive quit lines or quit-smoking classes. The interventions vary from program to program, but all are designed to promote lasting, healthy lifestyle changes.

Between 2008 and 2012, the WISEWOMAN program provided 170,319 screenings. From July 2011 to June 2012 the WISEWOMAN program reported 10,771 cases of high blood pressure, 7,372 cases of high cholesterol, 4,337 cases of diabetes, and 7,275 smokers among participants.

Read the full report here.

Contact Steven Cosby with questions or to request more information and to schedule a healthcare plan evaluation, savings analysis or group plan solution for your company.

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