employee benefits

A healthy workplace is a shared responsibility between the employer and the employee. Not only are the physical, emotional and mental health of individual employees at risk in a stress-filled workplace, but the organization also faces risks when stress levels stay elevated. According to a 2006 study by HR.com, a website devoted to human resources concerns, stress costs United States businesses more than $300 billion annually.

Setting competitive wages and benefits is challenging, especially in the present economic climate. How do your municipality’s benefits compare to those of similar-sized municipalities? Are you concerned that your municipality is paying employees too much—or not enough?

By Ronald P. O’Keefe

“We must use time as a tool, not as a crutch."
– President John Fitzgerald Kennedy

“Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend."
– Greek Philosopher Theophrastus

You’ve probably heard these catchy quotations on time. But why don’t we ever have enough of it? And how often do you leave work only to ask yourself, “What did I get accomplished today?"

Whether in the workplace or at home, time is your most valuable asset. And learning how to improve time management is the key to a more productive and reduced stress life.

Life, short-term disability (STD) and long-term disability (LTD) benefits may seemingly play a small role in a human resources department’s overview of employer perks. That’s generally due to an employee’s greater interest in salary and medical coverage—and the budget impact they command. However, these three coverage offerings are something to consider closely when trying to attract new hires and retain employees through a well-rounded benefits package.

Important Responsibilities

Life, STD and LTD benefits bear the following important responsibilities:

New Hampshire Local Government Center (LGC) has invested heavily in worksite health and risk management since 2004. This long-term strategy was targeted to reduce costs associated with employee and retiree risk and modifiable health behaviors. Reduced healthcare consumption may shrink short-term costs but, if it’s at the expense of long-term costs from poorly controlled chronic conditions, then LGC and its member groups would be even less well off.

In the past two years, New Hampshire Local Government Center’s (LGC) HealthTrust has partnered with several other large public purchasers, including the State of New Hampshire Employee Health Benefits Program, the University System of New Hampshire and the New Hampshire School Health Care Coalition to determine ways to lower the cost of healthcare while improving quality and the health and wellness of all employees.

Cost Variations

The National League of Cities (NLC) has partnered with CVS Caremark to offer residents of NLC member municipalities a prescription discount card that gives the user an average discount of 20 percent at participating retailers. This benefit can be especially valuable to residents who don’t have health insurance, have prescriptions that are not covered by their insurer or who may be enrolled in the Medicare drug program and have prescription costs that fall into the several thousand dollar gap before Medicare picks up all the costs. Program features include:

Did you know that 18 to 20 percent of all costs related to healthcare premiums are directly attributable to prescription drug expenses? More than two dozen representatives of New Hampshire Local Government Center (LGC) HealthTrust member groups learned that fact plus other helpful pharmacy trend information while attending LGC’s Rx (Really eXpensive?): Cost Influences & Plan Designs to Minimize Them educational workshop on April 22 in Concord.

On January 28, 2008, the Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA") was expanded when President Bush signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008. As further explained, that Act included military-related amendments to allow FMLA leave for a qualifying exigency and to care for injured family members. These changes are effective immediately.

The New Hampshire State Legislature passed several laws during the 2007 session that expand the availability of group health plan coverage and also raise certain federal taxation issues. As a pooled risk management program, New Hampshire Local Government Center (LGC) is not subject to State insurance laws, per New Hampshire RSA Chapter 5-B. However, LGC’s Board of Directors regularly reviews laws impacting group health plan coverage and determines whether to follow the provisions of such laws in administering benefit programs.