To stay at the forefront of our industry, we also stay abreast of the latest developments in the changing world of benefits, HR and business. Here are some of the top stories that are most likely impacting your business.
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National News
EBRI: Health Cost Confidence Drops
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Climate change helps spread deadly diseases
A "deadly dozen" diseases ranging from avian flu to yellow fever are likely to spread more because of climate change, the Wildlife Conservation Society said on Tuesday.
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Healthcare claims costs for employer-sponsored plans rises
A survey by Aon Consulting indicates double-digit increases in claims costs for 2009 but employers can reduce costs with new strategies
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Employee Benefits
MetLife Launches Online Income Annuity Tool to Help People... 10:0
To help individuals understand how to create a reliable, sustainable source of retirement income and make the most of their assets, MetLife today launched an innovative online Income Annuities... Business Wire
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Kaiser September Health Tracking Poll Finds Health Care Ranks Behind Economy as Election Issue Among Independent Voters
Excerpt: "The September poll, the tenth in a series designed and analyzed by the Foundation's public opinion research team, also examines the voters' specific health care issue interests and perceptions of the major presidential candidates' positions on health care and reform." (authored by Kaiser Family Foundation)
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CIGNA Expands Reporting of Its Quality Scores as Part of Efforts to Improve the U.S. Health Care System (Business Wire)
BLOOMFIELD, Conn.----Today, an independent organization that has for over a decade measured the efforts of U.S. health plans to improve health care quality released its annual report on the "State of Health Care Quality."
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Healthcare Consumerism
SHPS Presents Strategies for Third Party Administrators to Expand ... - MarketWatch
SHPS Presents Strategies for Third Party Administrators to Expand ... MarketWatch - 2 hours ago ( www.siia.org) SHPS , a leading provider of health improvement and health benefits solutions, will articulate ways that TPAs can leverage claims data into a ...
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Why A Mining Company Sends Its Workers to Fancy, Far-Flung Hospitals
Hint: It's good for the bottom line.
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Consumer dis-engagement: health plan illiteracy persists
Consumers don't understand the language of health plans and, thus, don't know how to use them. Market research published by Regence, which covers 3 million Blues plan enrollees in Idaho, Oregon, Utah and Washington, says that consumers face a "steep learning curve" when it comes to health insurance lingo.
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Human Resources
Is One on One Mentoring Obsolete? Enter the PBOD...
Have you ever noticed how much HR people talk about taking a seat at "the table"? I know we have a lot of non-HR folks who read FOT, so hit me in the comments and tell me how sick you...
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Company Rejects Candidate, Then Re-posts The Job = Bad PR...
Jennifer McClure riffed yesterday on giving feedback to candidates. She also riffed on NOT giving feedback to candidates... If you've been in the recruiting and HR biz for more than a year, you've seen it happen. There are basically 4...
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Only a heel uses a shoe phone in a group of people
How do you get smart?
by David Zinger
Maxwell Smart, in the old episodes of Get Smart, had a shoe phone. He often looked like a heel using his phone in public.
Now everyone has a portable communication device, from Blackberries and i-phones - people are connected to just about anyone except the people right in front of [...]
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Top Regional News
5 Democratic governors urge Obama health plan
Five Democratic governors made a plea yesterday in Philadelphia for Barack Obama's health plan, saying John McCain's proposal would weaken the employer-based system that covers 158 million Americans.
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Cost fears weigh on Rendell's health plan
Pennsylvania's darkening economic climate hasn't stopped Gov. Ed Rendell from pushing for a new program to help residents without health insurance.
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Renewal Rights Agreement Bolsters Narragansett Bay in New York
Narragansett Bay Insurance Co. has entered into a renewal rights agreement with Adirondack Insurance Exchange that should bring to the company 4,500 Long Island homeowner's policies with approximately
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