Mental Health Parity: Are We There Yet?

The treatment of mental health disorders is an argument that has gone on for many, many years. Some say that these disorders are not treatable (or curable), and others argue the opposite. Regardless of what side of the argument you take, until recently, insurance carriers have been reluctant to exceed state mandated coverage in their plan designs. This has discouraged those with mental health disorders to seek adequate treatment due to cost. Fortunately federal and state lawmakers are slowly addressing the issue of mental health parity.

Mental health disorders are like many physical illnesses. While they may not be "curable", they are manageable. Diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and even many cancers are not curable. However, people with these conditions can live a long and full life with medications that manage the disease. The same can be said with mental health illness. And in many instances, left untreated, these mental disorders can lead to serious physical illness.

For those of you who have never experienced clinical depression, anxiety or any other mental health disorder, it may be difficult for you to understand the real impact that these conditions have on one's life. As many families struggle with finances, divorce, job loss, or any other tragedy, more people are seeking treatment from a mental health professional. These illnesses are even becoming more socially acceptable. Yet the cost, in many cases, is still a prohibitive factor. What can we do to help encourage change?

Some legislative progress has occurred in recent years, but it's just not enough. Insurance carriers will never take the initiative themselves. For real Mental Health Parity to occur, it will have to be done through federal and state government actions.  I encourage you to write letters or make personal phone calls to your federal and state legislators. They can enact laws that will force insurance carriers to achieve this much needed equality.

How to retain your best employees

The rules of employee retention have changed. No longer can loyalty be bought with big salaries, hefty bonuses, and rich benefits packages. Today it takes intangible, non-monetary rewards to create an atmosphere that makes your people feel valued, respected, and involved. It takes a whole new way of thinking. This is the ninth edition of a 22-week special on ideas you could implement to keep those best employees:

9) Accentuate the Positive

How often are these scenes played out each day in corporate America?

• After pouring his heart and soul into a client proposal, Jack eagerly awaits feedback from his boss. When the document is returned to him, though, Jack finds that one typo has been circled in red ink and a few sentences have been rewritten. There's no mention of the 99% of his work that's flawless.
• For the first time in months, Sandy's late for work. As she walks through the lobby, she gets a dirty look from her supervisor, who happens to be standing at the front desk. Sandy wonders to herself, " Where is he on all those days I get here early?"
• During his annual performance review, Dan gets an overall rating of "very good", yet his manager spends most of the evaluation going over areas that need improvement.

It's human nature to dwell on the negative, to focus so much on the cloud that we overlook the silver lining. But the reality is that most people work hard most of the time. As a manager, you have far more opportunities to praise than to punish, and it is these daily opportunities that hold the key to keeping you best employees.

Does this mean you should never discipline an underachiever? Of course not, so long as you criticize the work and not the worker. Just be sure to credit more that you critique.

The Golden Rule has never applied more than when you are dealing with your employees!

How to retain your best employees

The rules of employee retention have changed. No longer can loyalty be bought with big  salaries, hefty bonuses, and rich benefits packages. Today it takes intangible, non-monetary rewards to create an atmosphere that makes your people feel valued, respected, and involved. It takes a whole new way of thinking. This is the eighth edition of a 22-week special on ideas you could implement to keep those best employees:

8) Have Fun
 Malcolm Forges once said, " A job without frustration is not a job." It's true, of course. Every job comes with its fair share of dirty work, stress, and bad days. But work should also be uplifting, enjoyable and, yes, fun. Imagine what would happen to your turnover rate if people actually looked forward to getting out of bed each morning and coming to the office.

Use your imagination to inject more fun into the workplace. Walk through the office with a video camcorder or instant camera. Pass out gag gifts during an impromptu "awards ceremony". Post cartoons around the office. Hide candy and other treats for your employees to discover. Poke fun at yourself whenever the opportunity arises. Be creative. You'll find the best ideas often won't cost you a penny, but they are priceless when it comes to boosting employee morale.

Another idea is to create a "fun" committee to come up with ideas about enhancing the atmosphere in the workplace. Be careful not to squelch the ideas as they are important.

HAVE FUN!

Health Management Drops in Importance Among Employees

Fewer employees are placing high priority on managing and improving their health, according to a recent Towers Watson survey of more than 9,000 large-and mid-size employees.

"As employees cope with a period of high financial and personal stress, the focus on improving health has taken a back seat, " says Jeff Levin-Sherz, a physician and senior health consultant at Towers Watson. "Chronic diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease, are the No. 1 driver of health care costs, and employers are increasingly committed to offering programs that can empower employees to manage their health and prevent the risks that lead to these diseases.

"Our findings reveal that this strategy faces an uphill battle in the current economic environment, but we believe that employers that creatively use incentives to more fully engage employees in wellness efforts have a head start on their competitors.

Employers with well-devised strategies for health care delivery and vendor partnership are fighting this by encouraging employees to proactively manage their own health, Levin-Sherz says. Research also reveals employers with high deductible health plans typically do more to support a health management and drive engagement, which makes employees more likely to participate in the wellness programs.

Over the past two years, there has been a drop in the employees' interest health management, according to the survey. Fifty-nine percent of employee respondents says managing their health is a primary concern, a decrease from 69 percent in 2008, and 59 percent of respondents have tried to improve their health in the past two years, down from 65 percent in 2008. Twenty percent of employees used employer lifestyle management programs, a drop from 26 percent in 2008.

However, employee awareness concerning their health risks is increasing, as more employees are participating in health-screening programs. In fact, 43 percent of employees completed a health risk assessment, a jump from 26 percent in 2008, the survey finds. Thirty-one percent also completed a biometric screening for body mass index and cholesterol and glucose levels, an increase from 18 percent in 2008, while 68 percent of employees believe they can change their health status.

Environmental Liability Risks for Marinas

As a marina owner, it is important to understand that your General Liability coverage excludes pollution. You have a significant risk of financial loss due to a fuel leak/spill from your fuel storage tanks and I wanted to provide some information on a couple of options you have to reduce/eliminate this risk.

Option 1 – Qualify and Participate in the Regulated Storage Tank Trust Fund administered by your state’s environmental agency. These programs are generally reimbursement type programs and have good coverage for a minimal cost.

Option 2 – Purchase an Environmental Insurance Policy (Site Pollution policy or a Fuel Tank Storage Liability policy).

There is an environmental policy available for your marina to protect you from liability claims related to fuel leaks/spills from your fuel storage tanks and associated piping. These policies generally pay defense costs, court judgments, testing, ongoing monitoring, cleanup costs, etc. related to claims against you for pollution due to a fuel spill. For most marina operators, a fuel storage tank liability policy will cost in the $500-$1,750 range for $1,000,000 of coverage. The premium will depend on quantity and construction of tanks, age of tanks, size of tanks, and whether the tanks are in a permeable or impermeable basin. If you would like me to quote this coverage please call me and I will be glad to do so. Please note that this fuel storage tank liability policy will not apply to the Watercraft Liability related to your work/rental boats, but only to your storage tanks and transmission equipment (piping). A site pollution policy is more expensive but provides a lot more coverage including pollution events related to fuel storage tanks, waste treatment/storage, other hazardous materials storage like oil, hydraulic fluid, etc., mold (lodging), and lead paint or asbestos. Specialized insurance markets offer these types of policies. Let me know if you are interested

I know many marina owners do not own their storage tanks, that Magnas Oil or another company actually owns the tanks. It is true that you are tied to Option 1 above as long as the tank owner remains in compliance and continues to stay qualified in every way for the Trust Fund program. However, the big weakness of this program is that in reality, the tank owner has the coverage, and you are dependent on them for coverage. The Trust Fund doesn’t provide any coverage for legal fees, so if you were named in a lawsuit related to the pollution event, you would have to pay all your attorney related fees out of your own pocket. If you lost a lawsuit, and a judgment levied against you, there would be no coverage under the Trust Fund unless you had applied to the trust fund as a fuel system operator prior to the pollution event. The oil company who owns the tanks would have coverage but unless you were also participating in the fund as a fuel system operator, you would not have any coverage. If you are in this situation, you should request that the oil company provide a written contract that addresses liability related to the fuel tanks and system and you should also apply to the state to participate in the fuel storage tank cleanup fund.

Ask yourself if you are prepared for a significant fuel spill? If you aren’t sure, please take some time and research your state’s fuel tank cleanup fund and ask your agent for a fuel storage tank liability policy quote.

Doug Timmons, CIC, CMIP

Marina and Resort Insurance Specialist

Commercial Risk Service

How to retain your best employees

The rules of employee retention have changed. No longer can loyalty be bought with big salaries, hefty bonuses, and rich benefits packages. Today it takes intangible, non-monetary rewards to create an atmosphere that makes your people feel valued, respected, and involved. It takes a whole new way of thinking. This is the seventh edition of a 22-week special on ideas you could implement to keep those best employees:

7) Keep Your Employees Healthy

Healthy employees have more energy, higher morale, and better attendance. Everyone benefits when you help your workers stay in shape, but you don’t have to build an on-site fitness center to improve their health. Here are some options that will inspire wellness and loyalty among employees:

• Investigate local health clubs. You may be able to negotiate a group rate for your employees. Think about sharing part of the cost to encourage participation.

• Provide healthy snacks and drinks. Doughnuts and candy bars in the break room can be altogether too tempting. Replace them with fresh fruit, granola bars, fruit juice, and other healthful snack alternatives. You might also consider taking away the soft drinks from the break room. Water is much healthier, and less expensive!

• Work with your insurance/benefits provider. A healthy workforce benefits your insurance company as well as your own organization. The company may be able to provide information on healthy lifestyles and guidance for wellness programs that will keep costs down by preventing illness and injury.

By making some of these subtle changes, not only will you be helping your employees get healthier, but they will understand that you really do care about them.

Physicians More Skeptical of Electronic Medical Records

Doctors' views of electronic medical records are not getting any rosier.
According to a 500-physician survey released by aetnahealth, which provides online business services to medical groups, and online physician community Sermo, while the overall favorable rating held at 77%, more detailed responses showed doctors were skeptical about digitized records.

The percentage of doctors saying that the financial benefits of electronic outweigh the costs fell to 64% from 71% last year. And the percentage saying the patient-care benefits justified the financial investment fell to 68% from 73%.

This year's survey also found doctors were less likely to agree that electronic records can help reduce medical errors, improve efficiency and lower costs. And a greater proportion of physicians said electronic records slow them down and don't achieve a measurable financial impact.

Meantime , a separate report out from PricewaterhouseCoopers finds that only 14% of the 1,000 consumers surveyed their medical records electronically, a third of whom shared their electronic records with their physicians.

How to retain your best employees

The rules of employee retention have changed. No longer can loyalty be bought with big salaries, hefty bonuses, and rich benefits packages. Today it takes intangible, non-monetary rewards to create an atmosphere that makes your people feel valued, respected, and involved. It takes a whole new way of thinking. This is the sixth edition of a 22-week special on ideas you could implement to keep those best employees:

6) Educate Your Employees
      You can strengthen the ties that bind employees to your company through ongoing training and education. By expanding their knowledge base, you can solidify your employee base, nurturing a team of workers who are more skilled, more productive, and more satisfied with their jobs.

Employee education doesn't necessarily mean expensive college tuition reimbursements. There are plenty of easy, affordable ways to give your staff educational perks:

• Pay their membership dues to trade associations.
• Buy subscriptions for magazines related to their jobs or your industry
• Give them time off, with pay, to attend workshops and seminars during business hours.

Here's another tip: After their training, have your employees teach the rest of the department what they've learned. It's a great way to maximize your training dollars and establish camaraderie among your employees.

How to retain your best employees

The rules of employee retention have changed. No longer can loyalty be bought with big salaries, hefty bonuses, and rich benefits packages. Today it takes intangible, non-monetary rewards to create an atmosphere that makes your people feel valued, respected, and involved. It take a whole new way of thinking. This is the fifth edition of a 22-week special on ideas you could implement to keep those best employees:

5) Know Your Employees as People

It’s easy to look at your workforce as data processors, supervisors, or whatever their job may be. But it’s smarter to see them as parents, spouses, or music lovers. When you get to know your employees as people, you establish the emotional ties between employer and employee that are at the root of high retention. When you look past the job title to the person, you make employees feel as if they’re somehow more than disposable cogs in the machine.

Keep a file on each staff member and use it to store information on children, spouses, birthdays, wedding anniversaries, hobbies, outside interests, and so on. You can use this information in your daily inter-actions to make employees feel like an important part of your family. You can also use it as a basis for offering personal rewards that have special meaning for the recipient. Compare the potential impact of these rewards:

• Impersonal: “You’ve been doing a great job lately, and I wanted you to know I have nominated you for Employee-of-the-Month.”

Personal: “You’ve been doing such a great job lately, so why don’t you take an extra hour at lunch? I know your son’s birthday is coming up, and I thought you might need some time to go shopping for his present.”

• Impersonal: “For your hard work on the financial report, I’d like you to have this coffee cup imprinted with the company logo”.

Personal: “For your hard work on the financial report, I bought you the new CD from that band I know you like so much.”

These aren’t necessarily great examples, but you get the point. Know your employees, and understand that they are human beings, not a number. The “human touch” is always better!

The Importance of Daily Dock Checks

Marina operators and resort owners with boat docks can reduce their risk of claims by performing daily dock walks of each dock at the marina or resort. Ask yourself if you walk each of your docks at the start of each and every day’s operations? If you don’t, please consider implementing this simple risk reduction technique.

Special attention should be given to your fuel system, electrical system, cabling and winches, boat lifts, walkways, and handrails. Walking and visually inspecting each dock can avoid potential injury and property damage claims. It is a good idea to create a dock log so that any dock hardware or equipment needing repair is documented on the day of the repair. If there is a claim, and you are named in a lawsuit related to one of your docks, your dock log will help your insurance company defend you.

Doug Timmons, CIC, CMIP

Commercial Risk Service