FEATURED
Future facing
During a 2011 health care reform ‘hiatus,’ employers can
reflect on plan decisions made in 2010 and use them to
influence strategy for dealing with effective dates set for
2012 and beyond.
BY KATHLEEN KOSTER
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 21)
ALSO INSIDE
Benefits Corner Office
The alphabet soup of international
visas
Health Care
Health risk assessments aren’t
necessary for wellness plan success
Retirement Planning
Who’s ERISA and when do I get to
meet her?
BY THE NUMBERS
73%
of employees say wellness
programs would encourage
them to stay longer with their
organization.
See page 66
MARCH 2011 • VOL 25 NO 3 • EBN.BENEFITNEWS.COM
FITNESS SERIES
Uphill battle, downhill
momentum
BY LINDA WAGAR
;is article is the ;rst in EBN’s year-long
BeneFIT Success series, which will chronicle employers and employees in their
individual and organizational wellness
triumphs. Learn more about how to submit your company as a candidate for the
series at the end of this article.
The skies were finally clear, and there
was a slight breeze in the air when I laced
up my sneakers and joined Luann Watkins on the walking path just steps away
from Heffernan’s Walnut Creek office.
Joining with us was Katie Riedel, another
(SEE WEIGHT LOSS ON PAGE 56)
DEFENDING PPACA
President refuses to regress
on health care reform
BY KATHLEEN KOSTER
Days after delivering what he called
a “little speech” (also known as the
State of the Union address), President Obama vehemently defended
the Patient Protection and A;ord-able Care Act, rallying the audience at a Families USA conference
in Washington, D.C., that “we are
moving forward.”
image by Tim Sloan/ gettyimages.com
Building upon January’s State of
the Union remarks, Obama made
(SEE PRESIDENT ON PAGE 58)
BENCHMARKING DATA
PPACA heightens the need to
benchmark benefit programs
BY LYDELL C. BRIDGEFORD
Employers like to look over one anoth-
er’s shoulder when it comes to benefits
programs, and benchmarking data pro-
vides this opportunity. Yet, some experts
believe that health care reform not only
has created greater employer interest in
benchmarking benefits programs, but
also will slightly alter what employers
want to measure.
