News You Can Use: New TV for your Boomer employees

Your Boomer employees may not care about the latest drama on Gossip Girl or The Hills, but that doesn't mean they don't represent much of their own television audience. (And no, we're not talking about the fans of Cloris Leachman on Dancing with the Stars).

Retirement Living TV is launching a partnership with AARP to bring two new TV programs exclusively to the 50+ set. The first, called Inside E Street (a nod to AARP's E Street headquarters in DC), is a half-hour news program, and the second, aptly-titled My Generation, is a lifestyle series.

Inside E Street uses the new season to tackle some of this year's red hot presidential campaign topics including access to affordable health care in America, the state of the economy and other relevant issues such as underfunded pensions and the price of oil. Host Sheilah Kast (ABC News, CNN and NPR) interviews the nation's top political leaders and policy makers in each episode. Inside E Street airs at 3 P.M. ET on Mondays and Fridays.

Co-hosted by Greg Williams (as seen on HBO's critically acclaimed show The Wire) and Emmy-nominated Cynthia Steele Vance, My Generation's second season features an array of celebrities and experts every week who discuss a range of lifestyle issues. From an in-depth interview with award-winning actress Sally Fields to the latest tips from consumer advocate Ron Burley, this series offers something of interest for every viewer. My Generation airs at 3 P.M. ET on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

They will premeire on October 10th and 14th, respectively, and are also available online at aarp.org/tv.

Overheard At: Premium Cost Control

Are your company’s pharmacy costs and health care premiums too high? Hear some tips on reducing pharmacy costs from Bob Nease, chief scientist at the pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts. This is a standalone podcast.

News You Can Use: Retirement plan participation rose strongly in 2007

Despite the doom and gloom news dominating headlines today, worker's participation in employer-based retirement programs grew steadily in 2007, up for the first time since 1998. Data released by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) states that 41.5% of all workers participate in employer sponsored plans, while the percentage of full-time and full-year salaried earners hovers at 55.5%.

The EBRI study includes these points about retirement plan participation:

· Age: Participation increases with age (63.9 percent for wage and salary workers ages 55–64, compared with 28.0 percent for those ages 21–24).

· Gender: Among all workers, men had a higher participation level than women, but among full-time, full-year workers, women had a higher percentage participating than men (57.0 percent for women, compared with 54.0 percent for men). Female workers’ lower probability of participation in the aggregate results from their overall lower earnings and lower rates of full-time work in comparison with males.

· Race: Hispanic wage and salary workers were significantly less likely than both white and black workers to participate in a retirement plan. The gap between the percentages of black and white plan participants narrows when compared across earnings levels.

· Geography: Wage and salary workers in the South, West, and Southwest had the lowest participation levels in 2007.

· Other factors: Higher-educated, higher-income, and married workers are more likely to participate in a plan than their counterparts.

Tip of the Day

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, they say. In those terms, offering onsite flu shots is a good way to help employees stay healthy and reduce lost productivity and/or presenteeism wraught by flu season.

News You Can Use: Election InfoCentral

The 2008 election is shaping up to be one of the most, if not the most, controversial of our lifetime. Employers will want to know which candidate has the best policy for their business before deciding the for whom they will vote.

Hewitt has an excellent resource in their Election 2008 Web page, which details information about each candidate's proposals and how they will affect employers and employees.

Overheard At: Wellness in any Economy

Experts seem to agree that, despite tough economic times, employers remain committed to their wellness and health management programs, even though some are holding off on adding higher-cost elements.

Brian Passon, wellness consultant and director at Corporate Fitness and Health, explains why wellness programs should not take a back seat during tough economic times. For more information, visit the corresponding article in Employee Benefit News, “Belt tightening: Downward business cycle may influence how employers invest in wellness.”

Overheard At: Election 2008 exclusive coverage

Hewitt Associates expert Frank McArdle talks with associate editor McLean Robbins about what issues will most concern employers in the 2008 election. He also offers exclusive debate analysis.