Posts Tagged ‘employee benefit consultant’

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Starting with a 5K – Ending with a Triathlon, Part 4

Monday, May 23rd, 2011

We are now into part 4 of our blog on preparing for a Triathlon. Our last blog provided a training schedule for a half marathon, we hope this helped you start training. Instead of focusing on the training schedule for a full marathon we are going to give you some tips for training and running a full marathon. Hopefully these tips will inspire you to push yourself to a full marathon.

1. Shoes & Socks - Select the shoes–and the socks–you’ll wear in the marathon. The shoes should be relatively lightweight but provide good support, and the socks should be the type you wear in other races. If the shoes aren’t your regular training shoes, wear them on at least one 10-mile run at marathon pace. Make sure you are very comfortable in the shoes and socks and if you are not be sure to change them before the marathon and do another practice run.

2. Run a Half Marathon – Don’t just break into a full marathon, make sure you run a half before. Aim to run the half-marathon slightly faster than your marathon goal pace. If you can’t find a tune-up race, recruit friends to accompany you on a long run, with the last several miles faster than marathon pace.

3. Drink on the Run - Make sure you stay hydrated and remember that sports drinks do triple duty when compared with water by providing fluid, carbohydrates, and electrolytes, the most important being sodium. Find out how often your marathon will have aid stations, and practice drinking at that rate. If you don’t run with fluids, place bottles along your training route. It’s important to do this so you are prepared for drinking during the real race.

4. Pick the right outfit - Once you’ve picked your marathon outfit, make sure it doesn’t irritate your skin. It’s a good idea to do a practice run with your outfit on, including shirt, shorts, socks, etc… being comfortable will help your marathon performance.

5. Clock Work – If possible, run at the same time of day as the start of your marathon. This way, your body’s rhythms–including the all-important bathroom routine–will be in sync with marathon needs come race day. The more times you can do this, the better, but shoot for at least the last three days before the race.

Good luck running a full marathon and accomplishing your health and wellness goals.

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Starting with a 5K – Ending with a Triathlon, Part 2

Monday, April 25th, 2011

Last week we posted a blog about training for a 5K. This week we are featuring part 2, training for a 10K. If you have done a 5K already then your training will be very similar, just more distance and more training.

Let’s start with some key terms to help with training.

Rest: Rest means no running. None. Give your muscles and synapses some serious R&R so all systems are primed for the next workout. Better two quality days and two of total rest than four days of mediocrity resulting from lingering fatigue. Rest days give you a mental break as well, so you’ll come back feeling refreshed.

Easy Runs: Easy runs mean totally comfortable and controlled. If you’re running with someone else, you should be able to converse easily. You’ll likely feel as if you could go faster. Don’t. Here’s some incentive to take it easy: You’ll still be burning 100 calories every mile you run, no matter how slow you go.

Long Runs: Long runs are any steady run at or longer than race distance designed to enhance endurance, which enables you to run longer and longer and feel strong doing it. A great long-run tip: Find a weekly training partner for company. You’ll have plenty of time to talk about anything that comes up.

Speedwork: Speedwork means bursts of running shorter than race distance, some at your race goal pace, some faster. This increases cardiac strength, biomechanical efficiency that translates into more miles per gallon, and the psychological toughness racing demands. That said, you’re not trying to kill yourself. Keep it fun.

One of the ways to train for a 10K is by doing a run/walk schedule – see below. Your workout instructions will displayed in run/walk intervals. The first number displayed will be the amount of minutes to run and the second number is the amount to walk. So, for example, 1/1 means run for 1 minute, then walk for 1 minute. Make sure that you always start your workouts with a 5 to 10 warm up.

10 Week Training Program for beginners:

Week 1:
Day 1: 1/1 x 10 (1 minute run, 1 minute walk x 10, for a total of 20 minutes)
Day 2: 1/1 x 10
Day 3: 1/1 x 10
Day 4: 40-45 minutes cross-training

Week 2:
Day 1: 1/1 x 11
Day 2: 1/1 x 12
Day 3: 1/1 x 13
Day 4: 40-45 minutes cross-training

Week 3:
Day 1: 1/1 x 15
Day 2: 1/1 x 15
Day 3: 1/1 x 15
Day 4: 45 min cross-training

Week 4:
Day 1: 2/1 x 10
Day 2: 2/1 x 10
Day 3: 2/1 x 10
Day 4: 45 min cross-training

Week 5:
Day 1: 2/1 x 10
Day 2: 3/1 x 10
Day 3: 2/1 x 14
Day 4: 45 min cross-training
Day 5: 30 min cross-training

Week 6:
Day 1: 3/1 x 10
Day 2: 3/1 x 8
Day 3: 3/1 x 11
Day 4: 45 min cross-training
Day 5: 30 min cross-training

Week 7:
Day 1: 3/1 x 10
Day 2: 3/1 x 8
Day 3: 3/1 x 13
Day 4: 45 min cross-training
Day 5: 30 min cross-training

Week 8:
Day 1: 3/1 x 10
Day 2: 3/1 x 10
Day 3: 3/1 x 15
Day 4: 45 min cross-training
Day 5: 30 min cross-training

Week 9:
Day 1: 3/1 x 10
Day 2: 3/1 x 10
Day 3: 3/1 x 17
Day 4: 45 min cross-training
Day 5: 30 min cross-training

Week 10:
Your 10K is this week! You’re going to take it a little easier this week, so that you’re well-rested for your big race. Good luck! Day 1: 2/1 x 10
Day 2: 30 min cross-training
Day 3: 3/1 x 5

Good luck training for a 10k!

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You hired a new employee – now what?

Wednesday, March 16th, 2011

When you are working with new employees and addressing an enrollment plan there are some very important steps to take. Here are a few of the steps to help you make the process flow from the beginning to the end. Even if your HR department takes care of these steps, it’s important as an employer or an employee to be aware of the process. 

    1. Provide the new employee with a pre-employment benefits newsletter.
    2. Make sure the employee has the links to all online forms so they can review coverage options.
    3. Supply the new employee with information for registering on carrier website.
    4. Speak with the employee regarding for for spouse. For example the spousal allowance compliance form.
    5. Provide the employee with a benefits comparison if multiple plans are offered.
    6. Make sure the employee is aware of all annual notices required by federal and state law.

      After the employee has gone through eligibility the next step is to address the follow items.

        1. Speak with the employee on how claims are filed, processed and the general time it takes for turnaround.
        2. How to resolve claim issues and who to speak with.
        3. Procedures to address questions and concerns.
        4. Makes sure the employee has all ID cards ad they are printed correctly.

          If you have questions regarding any of these steps it’s important to speak with your employee benefit adviser.

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          5 TIPS TO MORE HAPPINESS!

          Thursday, March 10th, 2011

          Sometimes it’s easier to say you are happy than to be happy. As part of our focus on health and wellness we are going to look at 5 things will make you happier. It’s not always easy to do these things, but thinking about them everyday will help inspire you to be happier. We hope you can take a few minutes and look over these tips.

          1. Be Grateful: Take a few minutes everyday to be grateful, perhaps it’s sending a thank you note or a letter to a good friend. Studies have shown that when be are grateful they have an increase in happiness.

          2. Be Optimistic: Optimistic thinking is very important to happiness. Waking up in the morning, smiling, and telling yourself  you will have a good day will lead to increased happiness.

          3. Count Your Blessings: Research has shown that people who sit down each week and write three good things that have happened to them are happier. This exercise gives people the ability to reflect on the positive things in their lives, rather than negative things

          4. Commit Acts of Kindness: Helping others can help yourself. By doing acts of kindness you will feel better about yourself and ultimately lead to a happier lifestyle. Small acts of kindness count as well. Spending a few hours helping a friend, donating to a charity, or volunteering are simple ways to help another.

          5. Use Your Strengths: What are you good at? What do you shine at doing? Using your strengths will make you happier and will also make the people around you happier. Are you good at organizing meetings? If so, you should be the one arranging them and ultimately this will make you happier.

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          “Yes, we still make things here in San Francisco” – SFMade & BayPoint Benefits

          Tuesday, February 1st, 2011

          “Yes, we still make things here in San Francisco,” as stated on the website of SFMade. We are excited to announce that recently BayPoint became a founding partner of SFMade. SFMade is headquartered in San Francisco and was established in 2010. They are a California 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

          SFMade’s mission is to build and support a vibrant manufacturing sector in San Francisco,  that sustains companies producing locally-made products, encourages entrepreneurship and innovation, and creates employment opportunities for a diverse local workforce.

          SFMade is the only organization of its kind focused on building San Francisco’s economic base by developing the local manufacturing sector. SFMade engages directly with entrepreneurs and growing small companies, all of whom are headquartered in and manufacture within San Francisco, offering industry-specific education, networking opportunities, and connecting these companies to powerful local resources.

          SFMade also offers educational workshops, factory tours, and programs in the following areas of interest:

          In press release sent on January 3, 2011 Brian Hassan, Founder and Managing Director of BayPoint Benefits said,  “Working with SFMade seemed to be a natural fit.  Given our involvement in advising emerging clients and incubator facilities, we felt that our skills and resources would provide great benefit to the SFMade portfolio of clients.  They are an exceptional team with a brilliant vision.  We strongly believe in their mission of keeping jobs in San Francisco and will dedicate the resources and capital needed to assist them in achieving their goals.”

          If you are interested in SFMade’s events click here. Another great resource is SFMade’s blog – http://www.sfmade.org/sfmade-blog/

          BayPoint Benefit’s is excited to be working with SFMade.

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          Online vs. Face-to-Face Enrollment – What Are The Professionals Saying?

          Wednesday, January 26th, 2011

          After reading a recent article written by editorial staff at Employee Benefit News titled, “Parity noted for online vs. face-to-face enrollment,” (link to article) it seemed necessary to get another expert opinion. Surveys and research has been done in order to understand the pros and cons of both of these enrollment methods. According to Employee Benefit News research suggests, “The value of cyberspace during open enrollment is at least on equal footing with face time, suggest two recent unpublished surveys of employees and carriers that sell voluntary benefit plans. Neither communication method appears to be proving itself superior.”

          In a conversation on this topic with Brian Hassan, one of BayPoint Benefit’s founders he said, “I feel that both methods are important.  It truly depends on the demographic of the employee base.  For those companies that are more tech-savvy, there should be a greater emphasis on the efficient leveraging of technology.  On the other hand, those companies whose employees are less tech proficient may prefer the face-to-face.  A mix of approaches should be used for most companies.  Especially considering that most benefits decisions are made at home, technology should not be overlooked as an effective communication medium.”

          It’s very important as an employee or an employer to understand the pros and cons to both methods. If you are having a difficult time deciding on which method to use, you should speak with your benefits consultant.

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          20 Keywords To Understand Your Health Insurance – Part 1

          Tuesday, January 18th, 2011

          When your benefits consultant talks about your health insurance are you confused because of the terms they use? If so, this blog post will help you make sure that when they use an acronym you know what it means. As an employer or an employee it’s important to understand the terms in order to make the right decisions and be knowledgeable about your health insurance.

          Here is a glossary to help you when you speak with your benefits consultant.

          1. Additional Insured: Anyone covered under your health plan that is not named as “insured” in your documentation from the insurance company.

          2. Benefit: The dollar amount your insurance carrier will pay when you file a claim for a covered loss.

          3. Benefit Period: This is the interval during which you will be eligible for benefits. Generally, your benefit period will begin with the first medical service you received for a specific illness and end after you have not been treated for that condition for 60 days.

          4. Carrier: The insurance company you receive your health plan from.

          5. Certificate of Insurance: This is the printed description of your benefits and coverage limits that forms a contract between you and your carrier. It spells out precisely what will be covered, what won’t, and the dollar maximums.

          6. Claim: This refers to any request to your insurance company for benefits.

          7. COBRA: This acronym refers to the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985. The law requires group medical plans covering twenty employees or more to offer participants the option to receive continued healthcare benefits for up to eighteen months after the cancellation of their group plan.

          8. Co-payment: This is a cost-sharing arrangement in which you will be responsible for a specific charge for a specific medical service ($20.00 per office visit, or $10.00 per generic prescription).

          9. Covered Expenses: The various medical procedures that your insurer has agreed to provide you coverage for.

          10. Deductible: The amount you’ll be required to pay for healthcare expenses before your insurance plan will begin to reimburse you.

          11. Exclusion: A specific circumstance or condition that is not covered by your policy.

          12. Effective Date: This refers to the date on which your insurance coverage will actually begin to cover you.

          13. Fee-for-Service: This is a payment system for healthcare where your provider is paid for each service after it is performed. You receive reimbursement after you file a claim.

          14. HMO: Health Maintenance Organization. HMO’s are popular health benefit programs in which you’ll pay monthly premiums in return for managed coverage for your checkups, hospital stays, doctors’ visits, surgery, emergency care, preventive care, lab tests, and X-rays. If you join an HMO, you will have to select what’s called a “Primary Care Physician” who will be responsible for coordinating your healthcare and making any referrals to specialists that you require. You’ll also have to use doctors, hospitals and clinics who are members of your HMO plan’s network.

          15. In-network: Healthcare facilities or providers who are members of your health plan.

          16. Lifetime Limit: This refers to the cap (or maximum level) on benefits available through a policy.

          17. LOS: This is an acronym for the term “length of stay”. It’s used by insurance carriers, case managers, and other healthcare professionals to describe the length of time any individual spends in a hospital or an in-patient care facility.

          18. Maximum Out-of-Pocket Expenses: The most you will have to pay during one year — in the form of deductibles and coinsurance fees.

          19. Managed Care: This term refers to an increasingly broad assortment of health plans that manage healthcare costs and usage. There are three major types of managed health plans: HMOs (Health Maintenance Organizations), PPOs (Preferred Provider Organizations) and POS (Point-Of-Service plans).

          20. Medicaid: This is a joint state/federal health insurance program that is administered by the state. It provides health coverage for low-income individuals, especially pregnant women, children and the disabled.

          Stay tuned for part 2 with more terms.

          Reference: www.ctindividualhealth.com/glossary.html

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          Posted in Global Benefits, Health & Happiness, Health Insurance Definitions | 1 Comment »

          Looking into 2011 – Health Reform Implementation

          Wednesday, January 5th, 2011

          Happy New Year to all! 2010 was a very eventful year for health reform and 2011 will be as well. Here are some hot topics you should expect to see in the new year.

          1. A NEW SPENDING BILL: The outgoing Congress was able to approve a temporary budget to fund the federal government into early March, based on current appropriations levels. That means there was no money for agencies such as the Department of Health and Human Services to pay for the implementation of health reform, from monitoring the development of state insurance exchanges to awarding grants to reviewing insurance rate hikes.

          2. THE INDIVIDUAL MANDATE: Lawsuits contesting the constitutionality of the individual mandate to purchase health insurance will continue to wind their way to a likely Supreme Court decision. While the Supreme Court isn’t likely to take up the case until 2012, big lower court decisions will be handed down in the coming year.

          3. STATE IMPLEMENTATION EFFORTS: States will need to make significant strides forward to make sure they are prepared to implement health reform’s most important components in 2014, especially insurance exchanges. Keep an eye on states with newly elected Republican governors, especially Florida, to see whether they resist moving ahead on health reform and how the federal government responds.

          4. MEDICAL LOSS RATIO: New regulations requiring insurance companies to spend at least 80 percent of premium dollars on medical care will take effect. Keep an eye on how many states request exemptions out of fear that the regulations could destabilize their insurance markets.

          If you have any questions regarding these topics be sure to contact your benefits consultant.

          Reference: IBM Center for The Business of Government

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          Company Holiday Party – DOs and DON’Ts

          Wednesday, December 15th, 2010

          It’s that time of year again, company holiday parties are happening and as an employer and an employee it’s helpful to know the do’s and don’ts. Here are 5 tips for your holiday party to make sure that you have a great time, but also leave on a good note and start the New Year with a smile on your face.

          1. Do act like someone might be watching your behavior, one too many glasses of wine could be a very bad thing. Make sure you have fun, but stay in control.

          2. Do keep all of the conversations upbeat and in the holiday cheer. Don’t be a downer and talk about things that aren’t going well at work.

          3. Do keep one hand free for handshakes all night. Tip – make sure you keep your drink in your off hand so you won’t be offering people a cold, wet hand to shake.

          4. Don’t bring an uninvited guest. Sometimes holiday parties change so even if in past years spouses and partners have been invited make sure to check. Some smaller parties may just be employees.

          5. Don’t not show up. Even though it may say “optional” it’s polite to show up. It may be the only gift you get all year from your employer, so show your appreciation of it. Show up on time and spend at least 30 minutes mingling.

          HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

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          Are you aware of the hidden costs of PEOs? Part 2

          Wednesday, December 1st, 2010

          In October we published the first part of this blog, which talked about the definition and hidden costs of PEOs – thank you for reading. We will now continue in part 2 with more hidden costs. There are both pros and cons to PEOs and understanding them is the most important factor. If you truly understand what the plan can offer and the costs associated you will be able to make a better decision for your company.

          Let’s continue the blog with three possible hidden costs – risk management, adjusted gross wages, terminating a PEO, and single point of contact.

          1. Risk Management

          Some PEO’s charge an additional fee if you need their help in managing “your” risk. The work-site employer is liable for any employee-related issues. You may be unaware that you are paying to cover the PEO’s Employer Liability Insurance to protect your company and this is on top of your own Employer Professional Liability. It’s very important that you understand this and know where the costs are coming from. Another very important point is that when a company has a relationship with an insurance company, many customized risk-management functions are provided with your plan free of charge.

          2. Adjusted Gross Wages

          If you company has a (POP) definition – Section 125 Premium Only Plan, or a flexible Spending Account (PSA), employee deductions under these plans reduce your wage basis for purposes of taxes and workers’ compensation. If you are unaware the IRS’s intent was to provide an incentive to employers to offer these benefits and help them offset their administrative fees through tax reduction. Here is an example:

          Gross wages           $2,500.00

          Employee Benefits (    300.00)

          FSA                            (     200.00)

          Adjusted Wages     $2,000.00

          Even though taxes and workers comp premiums are typically calculated on adjusted gross wages, a PEO may asses them based on higher gross wages.

          3. Terminating a PEO

          There are many reasons that someone might leave a PEO, before you get involved in a PEO it’s important to understand the terminating costs. Reasons that a company might leave a PEO model include – realized cost, incompatible benefit offerings, growth of the employer, lack of service, and many others. Here are some barriers to exiting.

          - All New Paperwork – after the termination from a PEO model all of your employees will have to fill out new paperwork as new hires and re-enroll in benefits too.

          - Two W-2s – your employees will receive two w-2’s for the year, which can be very confusing and frustrating to your employees.

          - Taxes – your employees will start FICA and SDI deductions all over again even if they had reached cutoffs while with the PEO.

          - Workers Compensation – If you have been with a PEO for a long time, it may be difficult to secure competitive workers comp insurance. Most carriers want to see your premium and loss experience to determine if you’re a good or a poor risk.

          4. Single Point of Contact

          It seems really easy and good to have one company perform all of your administration. However, if you decide to leave the PEO plan it may be very difficult and require many changes.

          These are just a few tips to help you make a better decision for your company. If you have questions you can always contact your benefits consultant for more advice.

          References:  www.HRIdeas.com

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