Tag: health benefits

Stay HealthEE all spring long

Healthy habits are important to maintain all year long but if you’re anything like me, I tend to get a little lackadaisical in the winter months and could use a refresher come spring. If you’re looking to revamp your routine for the warmer weather look no further, we have CDC recommended tips and tricks to get you healthy and ready for the summer.

The CDC recommends you get 150 minutes of moderate intensity leveled activity every week. While 150 may sound like a lot this can work out to 30 minutes a day 5 days a week. Walking can be a great way to get your physical activity in while also going about your everyday routine. Alternatively physical activity can also be a nice break from the norm and an opportunity to try something new. You can join a local gym or take a virtual work out class on demand from the comfort of your backyard through Wellbeats. Sources such as the American College of Sports Medicine advocate that adults engage in resistance training exercises for all major muscle groups at least two days per week. Working out three times per week allows for a more balanced and consistent exercise routine, with adequate rest and recovery time between workouts. 

While you are getting your body moving don’t forget to hydrate! Rethink any sugary sports drinks and sodas instead opt for classic H20 or for a little extra elect a electrolyte infused water. Electrolytes help replace the minerals you naturally lose when sweating as well as improve brain, muscle and heart functions. As spring is a time of rebirth and regrowth, what better time to try new fruits and veggies? 

Of course you need sleep all year long but with longer days and the sun rising earlier now is the time to get your sleep schedule in order to take full advantage of warmer weather and Vitamin D (don’t forget sunblock).

Sources 

https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/infographic/healthy-spring.htmhttps://www.businessinsider.com/we-asked-an-exercise-scientist-how-many-days-a-week-you-need-to-work-out-to-actually-make-a-difference-2015-6

Personalize your benefits

Is anyone really surprised by Businessolver’s findings that 85% of employees are confused about their benefits? Benefit confusion is an ongoing issue in the healthcare industry. Yet employees are not shying away from benefits, with mental health and wellness on the forefront of many minds coming out of the pandemic. Employees want help and access to benefits from their employment. More than help, employees are seeking freedom and a sense of choice from both an employment standpoint as well as from a benefit perspective. In today’s society you can have everything personalized to your needs from the milk in your coffee to the style in which you work best (WFH or IO). Especially considering how personal health decisions are, purchasing benefits based on your personal needs should be the baseline, not the exception.

So as an employee how can you personalize and better understand your healthcare experience? For one, many companies have programs that go under utilized due to lack of recognition so seeking out the exact benefits your company offers is a great first step. 

If you A) are underwhelmed by the benefits being offered to you or B) do not have benefits offered through your employer or are your own employer you can still experience personalized benefits. With confusion running rampant in the marketplace we recommend speaking with a support team that is local and not sales oriented. Your health is just that yours and your benefits should truly be yours too. Healthy Business Group knows employees are confused and want more from their benefits. Our Support team is truly a free resource created to help you better understand the options available to you. When you browse our one-stop-shop gethealthee.com you can personalize your benefits purchasing experience. You can pick and choose the kind of coverage and level of coverage that works best for you. You also get to choose your length of coverage with no open enrollment periods, you pay monthly and can decide when to purchase. 

With open eligibility and free access to our support team for everyone in the US it’s never been easier or more personalized to get benefits. 

Sources

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeshumanresourcescouncil/2023/04/26/personalization-is-the-future-of-employee-benefits/?sh=174c84495335

Sun out, lotion out

It’s no secret that being outside can positively affect your health. Between the mental aspects like reducing stress and improving mood to the physical attributes like soaking up vitamin D and the inevitable incentivisation to be active whether that be by walking or some other physical activity we can all agree that the nice weather is good for our health. However, one has to be careful especially as the sun begins to shine brighter and longer. Long exposure to ultraviolet light or UV can cause skin cancer. While protecting your skin from UV rays is important all year long it is essential in the warmer months. 

The CDC recommends utilizing any opportunity for shade, whether that be with an umbrella, hat or tree. The CDC also advocates for daily sunscreen application and reapplication if you are in the sun for more than 2 hours. 

If you don’t want to take my word for it you may heed actor Hugh Jackman’s warnings. Jackman recently took to instagram to share his experience with having two biopsies done for skin cancer on his nose following a checkup. While luckily his was basal cell carcinoma what he described as “the least dangerous of them all” and Skin Cancer Foundation backs up his claims as basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of skin cancer he followed by saying “ it is just not worth it. No matter how much you want a tan, trust me trust me trust me”. This was not the actors first run in with skin cancer, as with the disease lesions can be recurring and must be removed. At the end of the day he said he recommends everyone “put some sunscreen on. You will still have an incredible time out.” In Jackmans case his recent biopsies are for damage that occurred many years prior. 

The moral of the story is young, old and everyone in between needs to wear broad spectrum sunscreen with SPF of 15 or (preferably) higher.

 

Sources:

https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/skin/basic_info/sun-safety.htmhttps://www.healthline.com/health-news/hugh-jackman-skin-cancer-scarehttps://www.nfcr.org/blog/5-ways-spending-more-time-outside-benefits-our-health/?gclid=CjwKCAjw8-OhBhB5EiwADyoY1Tplqo68jRS6ocHdsgEbMGfThY0bE8_36yLYkgVB_ugSUqbL3uGxHxoCRJ4QAvD_BwE

Is it allergies or a cold?

Winter is finally in the rearview mirror, the sun is shining, and we all plan to be outside. The only negative to this cabin fever we all share is the runny nose, scratchy throats, and cloudy feeling that can be attested to one of two phenomena: allergies or a cold. Unfortunately, with allergies being so unpredictable, changing in symptoms and severity yearly, it can be difficult to deduce whether the discomfort you are feeling is, in fact, allergies or a common cold. 

Treating colds and allergies are two different methods of action; choosing the wrong treatment can be the difference between relief and continuous discomfort. It is essential to know the difference to treat yourself effectively and efficiently. According to the CDC, nearly a quarter of US adults have seasonal allergies, and the typical adult battles two or three colds a year, mainly between winter and spring. In a discussion about colds Dr. Yu, a pediatric allergist-immunologist at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, told the New York Times a definite red flag in cataloging your symptoms is a fever as they do not occur with common allergies. Another flag pointing toward a cold is body aches if you’re feeling run down. It’s more likely a cold or another viral infection like Covid-19. On the flip side, a telltale sign you have allergies is a runny nose ft. clear mucus. Another clear allergy indicator is itchiness around your eyes, nose, and ears. 

Now for every “clear sign” and “red flag,” so to speak, there are gray areas in symptoms. For instance, sneezing could indicate either a cold or allergies. But on the other hand, coughing and soreness in your throat can also come from colds and allergies. Thus it is important to consider symptoms outside sneezing, sore throats, and coughing when deducing colds vs. allergies.

So you have considered your ailments and have decided it’s most likely allergies you are feeling. The Mayo clinic advises antihistamines such as cetirizine (Zyrtec Allergy), fexofenadine (Allegra Allergy), and loratadine (Claritin, Alavert). The Mayo Clinic also mentions using nasal sprays and rinsing your sinuses with saline solution to flush out all the congestion. If the usual suspects like Allegra and sinus cleansing aren’t doing the job, you may want to consider speaking with your doctor to develop a different action plan.

The Mayo Clinic recommends remaining hydrated, resting, and even gargling salt water for your common cold. Other common treatments at home include utilizing sore throat remedies like lozenges, ice chips, sipping hold liquids, and an under-the-weather home classic: honey. 

Knowing your symptoms gives you the power to squash them in the bud and start enjoying the change in climate quicker. 

 

Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/article/cold-allergy-symptoms.htmlhttps://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/common-cold/in-depth/cold-remedies/art-20046403https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hay-fever/in-depth/seasonal-allergies/art-20048343#:~:text=Antihistamines%20can%20help%20relieve%20sneezing,These%20medications%20improve%20nasal%20symptoms.

Why you should take this opportunity to offer your part time employees benefits!

Since the re-acclimation of society following the Covid-19 pandemic, the workforce’s trend of playing hot potato with their jobs has become even more prevalent. Seemingly gone are the days of long tenure and climbing the corporate ladder as the primary goal of employees. For many, the ideology has shifted to prioritizing mental health and personal life over career advancement. Gold stars, promises of promotions, and free bagels don’t cut it anymore. If retention is essential to your company, you must offer tangible incentives that improve employee life authentically. Especially for the employees entrusted with being the human touch point between the brand and the customer, your sales associates, servers, desk attendants, and the traditionally part-time workers need to feel appreciated and motivated to put the company’s best foot forward. 

What do absolute and tangible retention techniques look like? They look like they are providing securities like access to benefits. Providing part-time employees with low-cost and flexible benefits can actively endorse retention while improving productivity as employees will be less stressed.

Healthcare Innovations

We live in a time of change; technology has shaken up the world time and time again, from learning and working virtually to Ai innovations. Disruption is the name of the game in today’s society, so it is no surprise health leaders’ media has reported the healthcare industry is ready for a reckoning. The health leader’s media article “Assessing the biggest disruptors in healthcare” focuses on telehealth champions, but the disruption to the industry doesn’t stop with virtual care. But telemedicine is a great place to start. We now live in a world where you can call a doctor in bed with the flu and have a prescription ready for pickup in an hour. In addition, from an overall health perspective, there are now resources like Rightway, the dedicated health guides who can schedule appointments, find in-network doctors near you, and handle billing disputes all in one app. 

Here at HealthEE by HBG, we use technology to benefit underserved community members like part-time employees, gig workers such as uber drivers and instacart drivers, and freelancers. You can get quotes 100% online pay for monthly coverage like a Netflix subscription. 

Get covered as soon as the following month, and have rightway by your side to sort through plans and telemedicine to avoid waiting in doctor’s offices when you would much rather be in bed.

source:

https://www.healthleadersmedia.com/innovation/assessing-biggest-disruptors-healthcare

Rightway and HBG Expand Partnership to Increase Health Coverage and Care Navigation Access

Rightway’s care navigation solution will be available to anyone who purchases health benefits through the HealthEE by HBG stores.

NEW YORK, Oct. 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Rightway, the healthcare company reinventing care navigation and pharmacy benefits, today announced an expansion to its strategic partnership with Healthy Business Group (HBG). This partnership combines the health plans available on the HealthEE by HBG store with Rightway to give everyone access to comprehensive benefits coverage and an effective, modern care navigation solution.

HBG is a workforce health solutions company that assists small to midsize companies in enhancing their offerings for full and part-time employees. Over the last year, HBG has grown their platform to include HealthEE, an online store that makes benefits accessible to association and union members, part-time and gig workers, freelancers, and more. These individuals can purchase many different coverage options, all in one location, directly from the HealthEE by HBG store.

By teaming up with brokers, associations, and employers, HBG and Rightway can solve one of the biggest challenges that part-time and hourly workers face, which is finding and navigating their health benefits. The HealthEE by HBG store makes it easy for these individuals to purchase affordable benefits traditionally offered by organizations. When members buy a health plan through the HealthEE by HBG store, they will also receive access to Rightway.

Rightway is a clinician-driven care navigation solution that improves healthcare outcomes by pairing members with a live, personalized health guide who can help them find affordable, high-quality care. Having access to a care navigation solution is an especially important benefit for members that have nowhere to turn for healthcare support due to a lack of medical coverage through their employer. Rightway’s goal is to democratize concierge navigation and give healthcare support to individuals who previously didn’t have access to one-to-one clinical experts.

“When people get benefits outside of their employers, they’re even more confused about how to seek the best care,” said Christian Stearns, Managing Director of Innovation and Growth, HealthEE by HBG. “Rightway health guides will become a lifeline to members who buy benefits through our store. Guiding them to highly rated providers and facilities, informing on what they can expect to pay for the services, and more. This partnership will improve health literacy and equity for people that haven’t traditionally been eligible for benefits in today’s healthcare ecosystem.”

“Through an expanded partnership with HBG on their benefits store, we’re able to tap into an important and growing market of part-time workers in need of health insurance,” described Kara Kubarych, VP of Partnerships, Rightway. “Medical coverage is just the first step for this population. By offering Rightway in tandem with HealthEE by HBG plans, individuals are better equipped to navigate the healthcare system to get the most value from their coverage, leading to better health outcomes overall.”

By embedding Rightway in HBG’s medical coverage choices, employees can receive the best health benefits and support to get the care they need–displaying the partnership’s commitment to making healthcare more attainable for everyone, everywhere.

For more information on the Rightway and HBG, please email partnerships@rightwayhealthcare.com or info@hbgnow.com.

Gen Z is using Social Media to find answers about their health

What began as an app for silly dances and memes has become a bustling platform for the content of all kinds. Tiktok has become a place where you can learn all sorts of information, from recipes to budgeting tips, music, entertainment, history lessons, where to eat, and where to shop. The corners of Tik Tok are endless, whatever you seek. Not only are there videos posted about virtually everything, but we, as viewers, trust this content more often than not. In September, the New York Times, among other publications, reported Tiktok rivaling google as a search engine among Gen Z, with 40% of young people going to TikTok or Instagram over google to find places to eat. The platform has adjusted accordingly, making it easier to find related information using keyword searches.
For Gen Z, there is a lot of distrust in the establishment across several conductors of authority. Gen Z tends to trust the experience of their peers first and foremost. Employer benefits news reported that a recent study by CharityRx discovered that one in three Gen Z users consult Tik Tok before their doctors for health advice. When we consider the topics these Gen Z users seek advice for, anxiety, depression, and weight loss, one can infer that these are all topics traditionally met with judgment from an older generation. While, yes, post-pandemic, we are a more understanding and more mental health-aware society, old habits die hard, and Gen Z may see Tik Tok as a source devoid of judgment.
It’s easy to brush off the trends of a younger generation as fads that will pass, but in terms of social behaviors, social media is a pillar here to stay, like it or not. You can either jump on the bandwagon or get lost in its dust. While many fact check the information they find online, only some do. There is a space online waiting to be filled with truthful information to rebuild the trust it seems Gen Z lacks in healthcare. Gen Z has proved time and time again that just because this is how things have always been done doesn’t mean they will continue to be done in the same way. As a whole, the industry needs to maintain relevance by being the source of knowledge online, meeting this generation where they are instead of hoping they will come to you because we already see that they won’t always.
The truth is Gen Z is just one generation on Tiktok. The platform caters to users of all demographics. Being a peer is being on the app and part of the community as a whole, Gen Z has the spotlight, but they are only one segment of the 750 million monthly users worldwide. In a separate article from Employer benefits news regarding the uninsured population of the gig economy, Stride Health’s CEO, Noah Lang, makes the point that the key to success when it comes to the benefits landscape today is “education, awareness and frequency, and making it easier for their workers to be aware of opportunities.” We must use new mediums to communicate and educate people of all employment statuses about their coverage accessibility.
As a source providing access to benefits for all part-time workers, freelancers, the gig economy as a whole, and any under-benefited individual, Tiktok has been on our radar for some time. It’sIt’s a big wide world out there. Just waiting to hear what you offer; we’ll see you there.

Sources

https://www.benefitnews.com./news/gen-zers-are-turning-to-tiktok-to-answer-healthcare-questionshttps://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/16/technology/gen-z-tiktok-search-engine.htmlhttps://www.benefitnews.com./news/24-of-workers-in-the-gig-economy-are-uninsured-how-can-employers-help

Are you presenting HealthEE by HBG as a retain and attract tool? You should be.

The workforce is reshuffling. There is no doubt about it. Our new normal has sparked change in every industry universally. Employees want more, more flexibility, more balance, more control, just more. Whether they find that sense of more in another role or as a gig worker or freelancer, many are still trying to find the answer to their employment desires. According to the US Chamber of Commerce, the food and hospitality industries are among the most struggling industries to retain workers. In these sectors, the bulk of sales happen to the end consumer through the part-time workers, so they must be trained and controlled, armed with the knowledge to close the deal. No one can deny the importance of the customer experience. It is a heavyweight, especially considering those expected to hold it often feel the least appreciated. Traditionally the part-time worker is provided a different cachet than the corporate counterparts, no PTO, no benefits, and poor hours during the holidays while the rest of us are home with our families. While this model has worked in the past, the post covid employee isn’t biting in the same way anymore to attract and retain the necessary talent to close the sales in the store and behind the counter.
You can find the usual retention techniques across this platform and several others, including the shared working community; WeWork posted an article highlighting that retention means work-life balance, hiring good leaders, and building good teams, but how does one attract good leaders and sound teams? Businesses must convey a value matching the ideals of the potential hires they seek. Now while the most obvious of the bunch is providing employees with the ability to work from home, this is only an option for some industries. An employee can’t show a guest to their room or take a customer’s order from their home. However, there are other ways employers can give potential employees a sense of control and empowerment. Research from job boards Indeed and Glassdoor finds benefits and flexibility remain essential to attract talent. For the businesses that can’t afford to offer higher pay and can’t provide their employees a work-from-home option, how does offering the part-time workforce affordable benefits at no cost to the employer sound? Here is where Healthy Business Group steps in; their flagship product, HealthEE by HBG, is the online benefits solution for employers to offer employees at no cost to the employer, where employees can take control of their benefits and can choose to have more of what they need and less of what they don’t, now that’s an incentive.

Sources

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-to-retain-an-employeehttps://www.uschamber.com/workforce/understanding-americas-labor-shortage-the-most-impacted-industrieshttps://www.zippia.com/advice/great-resignation-statistics/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/12/business/economy/labor-participation-covid.htmlhttps://www.hrmorning.com/news/benefits-key-role/https://www.fm-magazine.com/news/2022/dec/benefits-flexibility-attract-talent-report-finds.htmlhttps://www.wework.com/ideas/professional-development/management-leadership/employee-retention-what-it-is-best-strategies-and-more’

Checking in with HealthEE Support

As you know, our HealthEE support team is HealthEE by HBG’s friendly and accessible resource for answering any and all healthcare-related questions. January is a hectic month, we have many new members onboarding and calling with questions, so I checked in with the team to see what patterns they are noticing.
One wholesome trend we see is family members calling on behalf of loved ones like parents and significant others. It is incredibly touching to see family members discussing their loved one’s options and seeking the best plan for their needs.
Following the holidays, many callers have been looking for general plan overviews and in-network inquiries. Our team has found that the best way to clarify the difference from plan to plan comes down to the correlation between cost and coverage.
The feedback we have been receiving from callers is the general consensus that our members love the flexibility HealthEE by HBG healthcare plans offer.