be well solutions Archives - Be Well Solutions

BWS is the Winner of the Northeast Ohio Area 2016 Top Workplaces Award

CLEVELAND, OH – June 19, 2016 – Be Well Solutions is pleased to announce, for the third consecutive year, that it has been named a 2016 Top Workplace by The Cleveland Plain Dealer and WorkplaceDynamics, LLC. In addition, Be Well Solutions is honored to receive the Top Workplaces Special Award in Ethics. “The Top Workplaces award is not a popularity contest. And oftentimes, people assume it’s all about fancy perks and benefits.” says Doug Claffey, CEO of WorkplaceDynamics. “But to be a Top Workplace, organizations must meet our strict standards for organizational health. And who better to ask about work life than the people who live the culture every day—the employees. Time and time again, our research has proven that what’s most important to them is a strong belief in where the organization is headed, how it’s going to get [...]

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Event: Ohio Safety Congress & Expo

High Risk: Finding Your Wellness Program Purpose Date: Wednesday, March 9, 2016 Our Presenter: Bill Frankel, Executive Vice President and Principal of Be Well Solutions As health issues expand across the country, more and more companies are feeling the burden of an unhealthy workforce. Higher health insurance costs, increased absenteeism, reduced work productivity all affect your bottom-line. Today, learn about: • The Financial Toll on Corporate America o Indirect Cost and Direct Cost of Poor Health • Making a Case for Wellness o Reduction in Risk Factors = Reduction in Health Care Costs • Wellness that Works: Essential Elements o Selecting the Right Wellness Program for Your Organization • 2016: Updates to the ACA, Alternative Standards and Technology • Wellness for YOU: It’s Never Too Late to Begin Your Journey Into Wellness For more information, please visit https://www.bwc.ohio.gov/employer/programs/safety/SafetyCongress.asp

EEOC Update – Wellness

As you may recall, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) had not clarified its position on employer-sponsored wellness programs. In fact, several lawsuits were filed by the EEOC against employer-sponsored wellness programs (e.g., the Honeywell suit). The pushback was based on the Title II of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA). On October 29, 2015 the EEOC issued proposed rules which would amend Title II of GINA as they relate to wellness programs that are part of health plans. Comments on the proposed rules were accepted through the end of 2015. In short, the proposed amendments to GINA are favorable and show that the EEOC does not want to be an impediment to wellness programs. The following changes, in part, are proposed to GINA: A key proposed change in GINA involves incentivized wellness programs. The changes would [...]

School Supply Drive Benefits Children

Employees from Be Well Solutions, a Solon-based wellness company, display some of the more than 2,000 school supplies that were recently collected and then donated to the Cuyahoga County Division of Children and Family Services. The top three donating employees brought in more than 215 items.

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EEOC Final Rules Validate Wellness Programs (Eff. 1-1-17)

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently issued final rules that clarify the application of Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Title II of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) to employer sponsored wellness programs. These rules were put in place to define what constitutes a “voluntary” health program, and determine the extent to which employers may offer incentives to employees and spouses participating in these programs. These rules do not countermand the Department of Labor (DOL) and/or Health and Human Services (HHS) regulations regarding Health-Contingent Wellness Incentives (i.e. “reasonable alternative standards” and required annual screening opportunities). General Considerations: Title I of the ADA prohibits employers from discriminating against individuals on the basis of disability, and restricts employers from routinely obtaining medical information from applicants and employees. However, Title I does allow employers to make inquiries [...]

Tags: ACA, affordable care act, be well solutions, EEOC, healthcare, healthcare reform|

ERISA, COBRA and Wellness Programming

David T. Andrews, Attorney for Day Ketterer The threshold issue to determine whether ERISA applies to a wellness program is whether the wellness program rises to the level of a “Group Health Plan.” ERISA defines a Group Health Plan as “an employer-sponsored welfare benefit plan to the extent that the plan provides medical care (…including items and services paid for as medical care) to employees or their dependents directly or through insurance or otherwise.” Many common wellness program initiatives will cause a wellness plan to become a Group Health Plan subject to ERISA, including health risk assessments that provide advice and counseling, employer-paid immunizations and employer-paid biometric screenings (i.e., blood pressure screening, BMI, cholesterol, etc.). In addition, a wellness program can become a Group Health Plan by becoming linked to a Group Health Plan, such as by rewarding employees for [...]

BWS- Top Workplace by The Cleveland Plain Dealer and WorkplaceDynamics, LLC.

CLEVELAND, OH – June 21, 2015 – Be Well Solutions is pleased to announce, for the second consecutive year, that it has been named a 2015 Top Workplace by The Cleveland Plain Dealer and WorkplaceDynamics, LLC. The award recognizes corporate culture, work/life balance, support of the local community, and the strong connection between employees and the company. Most importantly, the Top Workplace Award takes into consideration the internal support, guidance and encouragement provided to employees. At Be Well Solutions, employees take pride in making an impact in the health and well-being of our participants. The Be Well Solutions culture unifies the company to work as a team toward the same goal – to continue to provide impactful wellness solutions. “Be Well Solutions is thrilled to be selected as a top workplace for the second year in a row. From the [...]

Event: Summit County Worksite Wellness Conference Hosted by the Wellness 360 Committee

High Risk: Finding Your Wellness Program Purpose Date: Thursday, March 10, 2016 Our Presenter: Bill Frankel, Executive Vice President and Principal of Be Well Solutions As health issues expand across the country, more and more companies are feeling the burden of an unhealthy workforce. Higher health insurance costs, increased absenteeism, reduced work productivity all affect your bottom-line. Today, learn about: • The Financial Toll on Corporate America: Indirect Cost and Direct Cost of Poor Health • Making a Case for Wellness: Reduction in Risk Factors = Reduction in Health Care Costs • Wellness that Works: Essential Elements: Selecting the Right Wellness Program for Your Organization • 2016: Updates to the ACA, Alternative Standards and Technology • Wellness for YOU: It’s Never Too Late to Begin Your Journey Into Wellness For more information, please visit https://www.wellness360conference.com.

Be Well Basic Program

We are pleased to announce the start of a brand new program to provide limited wellness services to those organizations that are A) not ready for comprehensive wellness programming B) not ready to financially support a comprehensive wellness program or C) all of the above. This program will allow every organization, regardless of size, to promote health and wellness internally at a nominal rate. We are now offering the new Be Well Physician Screening Incentive Program: Be Well Basic. The purpose of this program is to encourage participants to get their annual well-visit with their PCP and to reward them for doing so. As with our existing programs, Be Well will take ownership and responsibility for this wellness program. We will do all of the work—including the roll out, data warehousing, reporting and more. A few important notes: • This [...]

Event: OSCPA: Cleveland Accounting Show

Health and Wellness in the Workplace Date: Thursday, October 22nd, 2015 Our Presenter: Bill Frankel, Executive Vice President and Principal of Be Well Solutions As health issues expand across the country, more and more companies are feeling the burden of an unhealthy workforce. Higher health insurance costs, increased absenteeism, reduced work productivity all affect your bottom-line. Learn why it is never too late to begin your journey into wellness. The presentation will include 2016 updates to the ACA, Alternative Standards and Technology.