Editor's Note

In the United States, it is estimated that 60,000 new cases of Parkinson’s disease are diagnosed each year, joining the 1.5 million Americans who currently have Parkinson’s disease.Every nine minutes, someone is diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, according to the Dallas Area Parkinsonism Society. This incurable neurodegenerative disorder affects more Americans than multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy and ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease) combined.

Parkinson’s Awareness Month: Tips on accommodating Parkinson’s disease in the workplace

This disease is very common in the U.S. and yet most do not understand what it fully entails. Parkinson’s disease is a movement disorder with multiple symptoms, including tremors, slowness of movement, stiffness, gait, and balance problems. While there is no cure, with therapy and medications used to combat the symptoms, those diagnosed with Parkinson’s can live a “normal” life.

Employee Benefits and Wellness Excellence April 2016 Advertisers

The Healthy Work Environment: How well are you addressing HWE?

My continuous study of worksite wellness has led me to conclude that worksite wellness practices need to be as much about creating a healthy organization as they are about helping employees create a healthy lifestyle. Why would we ever expect employees to get healthy if they are working in an unhealthy, psychosocially toxic workplace?

Workplace Burnout: How to spot, fix, and prevent it

Burnout, a physical or mental collapse caused by overwork or stress, is an unfortunate but common occurrence that negatively impacts employee morale, productivity, and behavior. Fortunately, it is not a phenomenon that is impossible to revert, and with today’s modern workforce of supportive benefits and unique perks, it can be addressed and even prevented.

Telemedicine: A cure for the “Cadillac Tax” and employee health

In light of the impending “Cadillac Tax,” the high cost of employer-sponsored coverages and employee demand for more accessible health care solutions, employers are increasingly offering employees’ access to care via telemedicine as a potential solution.

Voluntary Insurance: A solution for employees at any stage in life

As a human resources professional, you are constantly working to understand the varying benefits needs of your workforce, ensuring your company provides products to meet those needs and helping employees choose the best products for their lifestyle. This is not only vital to retaining talent, but also to helping employees feel protected and financially stable. One way to help set your company apart is by offering health care benefits that are customizable to employees’ needs. Voluntary insurance is one solution that allows employees to create a benefits package that is uniquely built around individual health care needs and life stages

What Small And Medium Businesses Need To Effectively Manage Benefits: 7 key takeaways

Small to midsized companies compete on the same playing field as giant corporations, and they have an equal if not greater need to attract and retain the best employees. However, it’s harder for smaller companies to gain access to the same range of employee benefits and affordable choices their larger business counterparts enjoy. Smaller companies often lack the in-house benefits expertise and resources larger companies have, and that can be a problem when smaller businesses are creating a benefits strategy.

Non-Optimized Pharmacy Expenses: PBM carve-out is the solution!

In our series of opinion pieces on questions that companies should be asking their carrier at all times, one of the most important one is related to non-optimized pharmacy spend and variability in drug costs. Everyone claims to be offering a transparent PBM (Pharmacy Benefit Management). The question is, if it really is transparent or not? We have seen drug prices such as $498 and $166 for the same drug in the same region at retail stores depending on the PBM the employer is on. The difference is around $222 to up to $332 per drug. We are talking about savings of anywhere between one to five per cent on overall healthcare costs.

Restructuring: Ensuring employee health and wellbeing during restructuring

According to the European Restructuring Monitor (ERM) database more than 19,700 restructuring events have occurred in European companies from 2002 to the present in the 27 EU Member State and Norway. Restructuring is thus a reality for most employees and all employees will most likely experience at least one restructuring event during their career.