I know the last six months or so have been rough for you, pros, and you deserve a long vacation and a big bonus. I can't give you that, but I can offer you the opportunity to get some applause, a pretty cool trophy and a decent-sized check for a job well done.
To take advantage, nominate yourself or a colleague for the 2009 Benny Awards, presented by Employee Benefit News in partnership with corporate sponsor VSP Vision Care, the nation's largest provider of eyecare wellness benefits. The Bennys recognize excellence and innovation in the employee benefits/human resources field, and are organized into five categories:
* Benefits Professional of the Year
* Benefits Leadership — Health Care
* Benefits Leadership — Retirement Planning
* Benefits Leadership — Judges' Choice
* The VSP GetFit Award
The awards will be presented at EBN's annual Benefits Forum & Expo, to be held this year Sept. 13-15 in Atlanta, thus the applause and trophy I mentioned.
Now, about that check: The winner of the Benefits Professional of the Year award receives a cash award of $3,000 and $1,000 in travel expenses to attend BF&E '09. Each of the other three leadership award winners will receive $1,000 apiece and $750 in travel expenses.
Click here to read more about the awards and access the nomination form, which must be completed online. If you have any questions, e-mail me at kelley.butler@sourcemedia.com. Good luck!
Showing posts with label Benefits Forum and Expo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Benefits Forum and Expo. Show all posts
Monday, April 20, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
News You Can Use: More speakers for BF&E '09 announced
Mark your calendars, pros, so you can join us EBNers in Atlanta Sept. 13-15 for our 22nd annual Benefits Forum & Expo. In addition to keynote speakers financial guru Dave Ramsey and former HHS secretary Michael Leavitt, you won't want to miss breakout sessions led by our great slate of speakers, including your fellow benefits pros:
* Bob Ihrie, Senior Vice President of Employee Rewards and Services, Lowe's Companies Inc.
* Daniel Cohen, Director, Health care Solutions, MasterCard Worldwide
* Lesley Leiserson Director, Benefits, The Home Depot
* Nancy Lanzgin, Director of Global Benefits, Staples
* Paul Gilles, Group Vice President, Compensation & Benefits, Time Warner Cable
* Tami Graham, Global Benefits Manager, Intel Corporation
* Mark Parabicoli, Associate Vice President & Managing Director Employee Benefits, Liberty Mutual
* Ed Golitko, Senior Director of Human Resources, EMC Corporation
* Karen Hamilton, Manager Benefits Administration, Wendy's/Arby's Group
... and more! Come cheer on your fellow pros and learn from their unique experiences as they speak on addressing the cost pressures and other challenges of providing employee benefits during a recession. Click here for registration information and other details.
* Bob Ihrie, Senior Vice President of Employee Rewards and Services, Lowe's Companies Inc.
* Daniel Cohen, Director, Health care Solutions, MasterCard Worldwide
* Lesley Leiserson Director, Benefits, The Home Depot
* Nancy Lanzgin, Director of Global Benefits, Staples
* Paul Gilles, Group Vice President, Compensation & Benefits, Time Warner Cable
* Tami Graham, Global Benefits Manager, Intel Corporation
* Mark Parabicoli, Associate Vice President & Managing Director Employee Benefits, Liberty Mutual
* Ed Golitko, Senior Director of Human Resources, EMC Corporation
* Karen Hamilton, Manager Benefits Administration, Wendy's/Arby's Group
... and more! Come cheer on your fellow pros and learn from their unique experiences as they speak on addressing the cost pressures and other challenges of providing employee benefits during a recession. Click here for registration information and other details.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
News You Can Use: EBN announces keynote speakers for 22nd annual BF&E
EBN's 22nd annual Benefits Forum & Expo will be held Sept. 13-15 in Atlanta, and we have a peach of a program lined up for you, including an expanded agenda and two dynamic keynote speakers.
Intrigued? I knew you would be. Click here to find out more.
Intrigued? I knew you would be. Click here to find out more.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Tip of the Day: Send in your speaker proposals for BFE '09
Attention all aspiring presenters! Topic and speaker proposals now are being accepted for EBN's 2009 Benefits Forum & Expo, to be held Sept. 13-15 in Atlanta. All suggested sessions must include the name of an actual benefits practitioner. Benefit product and service providers also are invited to submit proposals, as long as ideas include an employer-client(s) to co-present. Proposals must be submitted online. Submission deadline is Jan. 23. For additional information visit www.benefits-forum.com or e-mail Benefitsforum@sourcemedia.com.
Friday, November 14, 2008
News You Can Use: Employers against mandate
President-elect Obama, take note: A pre-election survey by Buck Consultants finds that U.S. employers want to continue to provide health coverage to their employees, but are against a government mandate to do so.
Most employers favor a health-care system similar to what already exists, but adding:
• a safety net for the uninsured.
• a continuing, and potentially expanded, role for consumer-driven health plans.
• a national promotion of health and wellness.
Among other findings, if a mandate does become law, two-thirds believe employers should have plan design discretion, such as the option to offer CDHPs. As the Chamber of Commerce's public affairs director Katie Strong told Benefits Forum & Expo attendees in Sept., "Employers feel that they can manage health benefits and plan flexibility much better than the federal government."
Most employers favor a health-care system similar to what already exists, but adding:
• a safety net for the uninsured.
• a continuing, and potentially expanded, role for consumer-driven health plans.
• a national promotion of health and wellness.
Among other findings, if a mandate does become law, two-thirds believe employers should have plan design discretion, such as the option to offer CDHPs. As the Chamber of Commerce's public affairs director Katie Strong told Benefits Forum & Expo attendees in Sept., "Employers feel that they can manage health benefits and plan flexibility much better than the federal government."
Friday, November 7, 2008
News You Can Use: CDH 2.0
Don't miss the next big thing in CDH. According to Aaron C. Davis, president of NextLogical Benefit Strategies, LLC and speaker at EBN's recent Benefits Forum & Expo, the new CDH takes consumer-driven health one step further and transforms it to "compliance-driven health."
Davis defined compliance as "both a patient's commitment to following accepted protocols of disease management [and] a health plan member's commitment to following accepted standards of wellness, health maintenance and improvement."
Read more compliance-driven health in the current EBN.
Davis defined compliance as "both a patient's commitment to following accepted protocols of disease management [and] a health plan member's commitment to following accepted standards of wellness, health maintenance and improvement."
Read more compliance-driven health in the current EBN.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Overheard At: BFE attendees voice frustrations, solutions regarding employee engagement
The following are comments from Benefits Forum & Expo attendees at a peer networking session for large employers (more than 1,000 employees):
"It doesn't matter how many times you e-mail them [benefits communications], they don't read it."
"I can talk to them about benefits until I'm blue in the face, but if information comes from one of their coworkers, that's when they listen."
"We stopped using smaller incentives -- $50, $100 -- and instead just focused on one big-ticket item, a car. Seeing that clicked with employees, and we ended up spending the same amount that we would have spent on a bunch of smaller cash incentives."
"It doesn't matter how many times you e-mail them [benefits communications], they don't read it."
"I can talk to them about benefits until I'm blue in the face, but if information comes from one of their coworkers, that's when they listen."
"We stopped using smaller incentives -- $50, $100 -- and instead just focused on one big-ticket item, a car. Seeing that clicked with employees, and we ended up spending the same amount that we would have spent on a bunch of smaller cash incentives."
Scone: Private citizenry gives Gingrich 'purple' appeal
Whether they were red- or blue-affiliated when they entered, attendees at Monday's Benefits Forum & Expo keynote session with former House speaker Newt Gingrich left seeing only purple. Although still a political conservative at heart, Gingrich -- who received a standing ovation -- appealed to everyone across the political spectrum with his remarks on improving U.S. health care and finances.
Among his proposals for transforming the nation's health care system, Gingrich advocates a national defense system for health records -- suggesting we apply the ATM model to health IT.
Even in foreign countries, he pointed out, "we trust the ATM system so much that you'll open your bank account across international borders, take money out in local currency when you don't know the exchange rate and not know what's left in your account afterward." He said similar infrastructure should be the backbone of a national electronic health record program.
Although speaking specifically about health care in his prepared remarks, questions from the audience predictably turned toward the current financial crisis and the proposed government bailout of the nation's banking system.
Dubbing the plan "crony capitalism," and predicting disaster if the proposal passes unedited, Gingrich said he is "deeply opposed" to the administration's proposed bailout and said other alternatives to aiding the economy -- including eliminating the mark-to-market rule and the capital gains tax, and repealing the Sarbanes-Oxley Act -- that "don't involve giving [Treasury Secretary Henry] Paulson $700 billion."
Veering away from the gloom and doom, Gingrich ended on an inspiring note, telling the audience they were "at the early stages of witnessing American creativity that will transform our country, and 25 years from now, we'll say, 'I knew they'd work it out.' The American people are so much more creative than their government."
I admit, I'm pretty blue-blooded (politically, not financially), and I thought he was one of the best conference speakers I've seen in a long time, if not ever. Hopefully, this write-up helped you feel like you were there and captured some of the energy in the standing-room only hall. More coverage of the session and day 2 of BFE is available at BenefitNews.com.
Among his proposals for transforming the nation's health care system, Gingrich advocates a national defense system for health records -- suggesting we apply the ATM model to health IT.
Even in foreign countries, he pointed out, "we trust the ATM system so much that you'll open your bank account across international borders, take money out in local currency when you don't know the exchange rate and not know what's left in your account afterward." He said similar infrastructure should be the backbone of a national electronic health record program.
Although speaking specifically about health care in his prepared remarks, questions from the audience predictably turned toward the current financial crisis and the proposed government bailout of the nation's banking system.
Dubbing the plan "crony capitalism," and predicting disaster if the proposal passes unedited, Gingrich said he is "deeply opposed" to the administration's proposed bailout and said other alternatives to aiding the economy -- including eliminating the mark-to-market rule and the capital gains tax, and repealing the Sarbanes-Oxley Act -- that "don't involve giving [Treasury Secretary Henry] Paulson $700 billion."
Veering away from the gloom and doom, Gingrich ended on an inspiring note, telling the audience they were "at the early stages of witnessing American creativity that will transform our country, and 25 years from now, we'll say, 'I knew they'd work it out.' The American people are so much more creative than their government."
I admit, I'm pretty blue-blooded (politically, not financially), and I thought he was one of the best conference speakers I've seen in a long time, if not ever. Hopefully, this write-up helped you feel like you were there and captured some of the energy in the standing-room only hall. More coverage of the session and day 2 of BFE is available at BenefitNews.com.
News You Can Use: Smaller employers share what works
Benefits communication and controlling health benefit costs were top of mind among HR-benefit managers from small and mid-size businesses who attended a peer networking session at Benefits Forum & Expo on Monday.
Benefits pros from organizations ranging from 30 to 2,000 employees voiced their problems and traded solutions and tips in the lively hour-long session. Here are some of the discussion highlights and takeaways were:
• Companies that survey their employees frequently, say once a quarter, reported a higher level of employee satisfaction and engagement. Surveys also help HR to cherry pick the best benefits for their population. “We found out they value health benefits, but they value dental benefits in a whole different way,” said one manager. “We were going to cut dental, but not now.”
• Continuous communication is the key to getting employees to understand and appreciate their benefits. Many participants have a “benefit or benefit tip of the month” that’s promoted in monthly newsletters, payroll stuffers and management meetings with employees. To encourage employees to read newsletters, one pro “burys” the chance to win a free lunch within the text.
• Don’t expect employees to read benefits booklets. Utilize postcards with bullet items covering the key benefit points and “at a glance” benefit wallet cards in addition to or instead of longer communication pieces.
• Simplify the rollout of a new health plan by automatically mapping employees into the various plan choices based on their prior year’s selections. Employees were told to act only if they disagreed. Few did.
• Mail-order prescription plans are huge money savers for employers and employees. Use incentives or penalties to get employees to switch to mail order, but check state laws on the latter.
• Monitor beneficiary eligibility, even if you have to use an outside firm. One company saved $150,000 in one-year by removing non-eligible dependents from its plans—more than the cost of the data “scrub.”
Benefits pros from organizations ranging from 30 to 2,000 employees voiced their problems and traded solutions and tips in the lively hour-long session. Here are some of the discussion highlights and takeaways were:
• Companies that survey their employees frequently, say once a quarter, reported a higher level of employee satisfaction and engagement. Surveys also help HR to cherry pick the best benefits for their population. “We found out they value health benefits, but they value dental benefits in a whole different way,” said one manager. “We were going to cut dental, but not now.”
• Continuous communication is the key to getting employees to understand and appreciate their benefits. Many participants have a “benefit or benefit tip of the month” that’s promoted in monthly newsletters, payroll stuffers and management meetings with employees. To encourage employees to read newsletters, one pro “burys” the chance to win a free lunch within the text.
• Don’t expect employees to read benefits booklets. Utilize postcards with bullet items covering the key benefit points and “at a glance” benefit wallet cards in addition to or instead of longer communication pieces.
• Simplify the rollout of a new health plan by automatically mapping employees into the various plan choices based on their prior year’s selections. Employees were told to act only if they disagreed. Few did.
• Mail-order prescription plans are huge money savers for employers and employees. Use incentives or penalties to get employees to switch to mail order, but check state laws on the latter.
• Monitor beneficiary eligibility, even if you have to use an outside firm. One company saved $150,000 in one-year by removing non-eligible dependents from its plans—more than the cost of the data “scrub.”
Monday, September 22, 2008
Tip of the Day
Giving Monday's keynote address at EBN's Benefit Forum & Expo, Newt Gingrich offered a tip that he urged attendees to take home and teach to their teams a turn of phrase that he believes can change the way they operate. "Train people to say 'Yes, if' rather than 'No, because,'" Gingrich put simply, dubbing it the art of "cheerful persistence."
"If you ask, 'Can we get pizza for lunch?' and I say, 'No, because we don't have any money,' the 'no' automatically distances me, reduces my interest and [encourages an argument]," he said. "But if you say, 'Yes, if we had money,' it instantly makes me brainstorm, rather than argue the fact that you said no."
"If you ask, 'Can we get pizza for lunch?' and I say, 'No, because we don't have any money,' the 'no' automatically distances me, reduces my interest and [encourages an argument]," he said. "But if you say, 'Yes, if we had money,' it instantly makes me brainstorm, rather than argue the fact that you said no."
News You Can't Use: Kondracke predicts Nov. win for Obama
Addressing attendees Sunday at EBN's 21st annual Benefits Forum & Expo, keynote speaker Morton Kondracke handicapped the 2008 presidential election.
Acknowledging that his "crystal ball has cataracts," Kondracke said that "if you put a gun to my head," Sen. Barack Obama will be victorious in November, based largely on a public appetite for new leadership.
However, Kondracke also said that the Democratic nominee still "needs to make the final sale" to the American people, and that even if he does successfully close the deal with the majority of the electorate, "there are still some voters who will not vote for a black man."
Further, he said, it remains to be seen if young, female and African American voters will truly turn out to the polls to put the Illinois senator over the top.
Acknowledging that his "crystal ball has cataracts," Kondracke said that "if you put a gun to my head," Sen. Barack Obama will be victorious in November, based largely on a public appetite for new leadership.
However, Kondracke also said that the Democratic nominee still "needs to make the final sale" to the American people, and that even if he does successfully close the deal with the majority of the electorate, "there are still some voters who will not vote for a black man."
Further, he said, it remains to be seen if young, female and African American voters will truly turn out to the polls to put the Illinois senator over the top.
Overheard At: BFE speakers go off the cuff
At the 21st annual Benefits Forum & Expo, EBN's annual conference, attendees were treated to not only knowledgeable but humorous keynote addresses from Roll Call Editor Morton Kondracke and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who spoke to benefits stakeholders Sunday and Monday, respectively. Among their comments:
"There's a joke about Sen. McCain being the most prepared to answer the 3 a.m. red phone call because he'll already be up going to the bathroom." "It's interesting, we have a senator from New York who was born in Illinois, and a senator from Illinois who apparently was born in a manger." -- Kondracke, on the '08 presidential race
"If you're young enough, you don't know about using an automatic teller machine, because you've never actually seen a teller." -- Gingrich, on the speed of advancing automated technology
"Prayer." -- Gingrich's answer to how to engage employees who resist corporate wellness programs.
"There's a joke about Sen. McCain being the most prepared to answer the 3 a.m. red phone call because he'll already be up going to the bathroom." "It's interesting, we have a senator from New York who was born in Illinois, and a senator from Illinois who apparently was born in a manger." -- Kondracke, on the '08 presidential race
"If you're young enough, you don't know about using an automatic teller machine, because you've never actually seen a teller." -- Gingrich, on the speed of advancing automated technology
"Prayer." -- Gingrich's answer to how to engage employees who resist corporate wellness programs.
Scone: Employers snatching 'low-hanging fruit' in health care reform effort
Greetings from National Harbor, Md., at the 21st annual Benefits Forum & Expo, where EBN opened its annual conference on a high note with Morton Kondracke, editor of Roll Call, who hasn't lost his knack for blunt honesty that he honed as a television political commentator over several decades.
Plainly calling a spade a gardening tool, Kondracke told BFE attendees on Sunday that "the world changed last week," referring to the current banking crisis and impending government bailout, which means that "$1.3 trillion we now won't get to spend on anything except bailing out the financial system."
Coincidentally, he pointed out, that $1.3 trillion is about the same amount Democratic nominee Barack Obama proposes to spend in outlays to implement his health care plan, as well as the cost to cover the high-risk insurance pool Republican nominee John McCain would create in his plan.
But the bailout of the financial markets "seriously hinders anyone doing anything about health care, no matter who the president is. Even before this crisis, health care was moving down on the American priority list, and now it's gone even further. The new fiscal reality means we're looking at something very different from what either Sen. McCain or Obama want."
Instead of sweeping new plans, Kondracke urges stakeholders to pick "low-hanging fruit," like adopting standards in health IT, advancing disease management and emphasizing preventive care -- all of which employers already are doing, to the extent that such decisions are within their control.
Despite the pretty dismal financial news and outlook for true health care reform, hearing Kondracke speak made me feel encouraged. The more immediate health care changes he advocated are ones that employers have been implementing steadily over the last decade. Currently, the majority of you have disease management programs and wellness programs stressing prevention, and are adding to them annually. You're taking on a truly difficult situation and rather than waiting on Congress to create solutions, you're creating your own.
Employers can't control Washington, but surely are taking the low-hanging lemons Kondracke pointed to and are making great lemonade. I say keep picking.
Plainly calling a spade a gardening tool, Kondracke told BFE attendees on Sunday that "the world changed last week," referring to the current banking crisis and impending government bailout, which means that "$1.3 trillion we now won't get to spend on anything except bailing out the financial system."
Coincidentally, he pointed out, that $1.3 trillion is about the same amount Democratic nominee Barack Obama proposes to spend in outlays to implement his health care plan, as well as the cost to cover the high-risk insurance pool Republican nominee John McCain would create in his plan.
But the bailout of the financial markets "seriously hinders anyone doing anything about health care, no matter who the president is. Even before this crisis, health care was moving down on the American priority list, and now it's gone even further. The new fiscal reality means we're looking at something very different from what either Sen. McCain or Obama want."
Instead of sweeping new plans, Kondracke urges stakeholders to pick "low-hanging fruit," like adopting standards in health IT, advancing disease management and emphasizing preventive care -- all of which employers already are doing, to the extent that such decisions are within their control.
Despite the pretty dismal financial news and outlook for true health care reform, hearing Kondracke speak made me feel encouraged. The more immediate health care changes he advocated are ones that employers have been implementing steadily over the last decade. Currently, the majority of you have disease management programs and wellness programs stressing prevention, and are adding to them annually. You're taking on a truly difficult situation and rather than waiting on Congress to create solutions, you're creating your own.
Employers can't control Washington, but surely are taking the low-hanging lemons Kondracke pointed to and are making great lemonade. I say keep picking.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Stay tuned for live coverage of the Benefits Forum + Expo
The Daily Diversion doesn't want you to miss a single minute of the excitement at our upcoming Benefits Forum and Expo, held Sunday through Tuesday in DC's National Harbor Complex.
Check the blog regularly for:
The full schedule is available for download here.
Check the blog regularly for:
- Live updates from the editors
- Conference-exclusive blogs and podcasts
- Up-to-the-minute breaking news.
The full schedule is available for download here.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Wish You Were Here:Benefits Forum + Expo
Today's "Wish You Were Here" takes a different twist. Employee Benefit News packing a bag and heading to their 21st annual conference this weekend, and we want you to come too.
If you can't actually make the trip in person, check the blog and Web site for regular coverage, as well as download our own City Guide for a personalized guide to DC from our editors. After all, there's no advice like that of a local.
If you can't actually make the trip in person, check the blog and Web site for regular coverage, as well as download our own City Guide for a personalized guide to DC from our editors. After all, there's no advice like that of a local.
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