ETA Benefits Group Blog

ETA Benefits Group Bloghttp://www.etabenefits.com/blog/View ETA Benefits Group's Website Blogen-uspostmaster@www.etabenefits.comInsurance Website Builder - www.insurancewebsitebuilder.comurn:uuid:bef70f80-45d0-4268-a8f1-a68df3e42051urn:uuid:31f35fb9-8c30-4883-a8ff-b4cbad0e84a7ETA Business Owner Featured in Hazleton Standard Speaker Article Benefit costs impacting budgets By SAM GALSKI (Staff Writer)  Hazleton Standard Speaker The rising cost of employee medical benefits has been a hard pill to swallow for some local government agencies and municipal authorities, with costs in ...Wed, 19 Oct 2011 09:05:46 -0500<div style="text-align: left; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none;border: medium none;"> <div style="text-align: left; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none;border: medium none;"> <h1>Benefit costs impacting budgets</h1> <div class="dateLine"> <div class="author">By SAM GALSKI (Staff Writer)  Hazleton Standard Speaker The rising cost of employee medical benefits has been a hard pill to swallow for some local government agencies and municipal authorities, with costs in some cases climbing by as much as 24 percent over the past year. <div style="text-align: left; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; overflow: hidden; text-decoration: none;border: medium none;"> Judging by rate projections presented to one local authority, the trend shows no sign of slowing. While municipal officials say they have pursued money-saving measures over the years, changes they've incorporated into plans provided for public employees have been limited and require approval from unionized work forces. In light of those savings, medical benefits costs continue to eat away at municipal and authority budgets, with the $2 million-plus Hazleton City spends each year on benefits provided to roughly 90 active employees accounting for more than a quarter of city's $7.5 million budget. </div> </div> </div> </div> Read more: <a href="http://standardspeaker.com/news/benefit-costs-impacting-budgets-1.1219097#ixzz1bEiZ3Buw" style="color: #003399;">http://standardspeaker.com/news/benefit-costs-impacting-budgets-1.1219097#ixzz1bEiZ3Buw</a> </div>urn:uuid:ec21eb65-c53a-4186-9dfa-7936c1911078Health Insurance Costs Rising...but not as much as expected    I found this article and wanted to share with all of you. It was written by Tom Murphy and published on BenefitsPro.com. In this article, he goes on to point out that more consumers are starting to realize the true cost of med...Thu, 22 Sep 2011 10:46:33 -0500    I found this article and wanted to share with all of you. It was written by Tom Murphy and published on BenefitsPro.com. In this article, he goes on to point out that more consumers are starting to realize the true cost of medical procedures due to more cost sharing by the employers. This has led more consumers to put off seeing a doctor or having a procedure or just paying the difference in what it would have cost under the old way of doing things. This means that because the plans are not being utilized as heavily as in the past, the insurance carriers upon renewal are taking into account that usage and will hopefully grant lower renewal rates for the employer's group plan. Informed consumerism is almost always a good thing because you can make more educated decisions. HOWEVER, given our current economic condition, this could actually be a bad thing. Many people do not have the extra cash lying around to make up for the added expenses so they are putting off getting check ups or having routine procedures done. This could lead to more serious, costly medical conditions going undiagnosed so perhaps Tom's point is correct that in the short-term, prices may not raise too much but I ask, what is the long-term effect going to be? "Many workers will see their health insurance costs rise less next year than in more than a decade, partly because consumers are dialing back their health care use, a benefits consultant has found. A survey from consultant Mercer of companies that offer employees health insurance shows the cost will rise an average of 5.4 percent in 2012. That compares with an average hike of 6.4 percent this year and it would be the smallest increase since 1997, according to data Mercer released Wednesday. Employers say their health insurance costs would rise about 7 percent next year if they made no changes to the plans they offer; health care costs overall are continuing to rise much faster than inflation. But employers told Mercer they expect to whittle the increase workers see by taking such measures as raising deductibles or co-payments and switching insurers. Some workers may see smaller or larger hikes than this average. Companies can eat a portion or all of a cost increase for their workers, but they also may ask workers to increase their share of the total bill they split with the employer for coverage. About a third of the employers Mercer surveyed plan to increase the portion their workers pay next year. Employer-sponsored health insurance is the main form of health coverage in the United States, and many workers are about to receive notices from their companies about their benefits plans for next year. Insurers have been saying for months that health care use has grown more slowly this year, and many industry observers pin this on the sluggish economy. Employers also have played a role in containing health care costs, according to Beth Umland, Mercer's health and benefits research director. For several years, companies have been increasing employee cost-sharing in their plans, which means they ask people to pay more at the doctor's office or a higher percentage of the bill for care. This exposes people more to the cost of care. "That, combined with the bad economy, is kind of making employees think twice about non-urgent care," she said. Insurers and employers base their rates for health insurance in part on the price of care and how often people use it, Umland said. If the use of care is rising at a slower rate, they may be able to tone down insurance cost increases. Slower insurance growth rates deliver only a limited dose of good news. Health care costs are still climbing about three times faster than general inflation, noted Bob Laszewski, a consultant and former insurance executive who was not involved with the study. "We still have health care costs far outstripping wages and growth in the economy," he said." <a href="http://www.benefitspro.com/2011/09/21/health-care-use-slows-premium-hikes">http://www.benefitspro.com/2011/09/21/health-care-use-slows-premium-hikes</a>urn:uuid:ae07bcf9-1cfa-46d5-aac2-ad45666a47caHouse Votes To Repeal Obama's Healthcare Reform LawMedia reports are casting the House vote to repeal the 2010 healthcare reform law as a political exercise that has virtually no chance of overcoming Democratic resistance in the Senate -- much less escaping the President's veto pen. The AP (1/20, Es...Thu, 20 Jan 2011 07:28:27 -0600Media reports are casting the House vote to repeal the 2010 healthcare reform law as a political exercise that has virtually no chance of overcoming Democratic resistance in the Senate -- much less escaping the President's veto pen. The <a href="http://mailview.custombriefings.com/mailview.aspx?m=2011012001nahu&r=4440564-df51&l=001-fb9&t=c" title="blocked::http://mailview.custombriefings.com/mailview.aspx?m=2011012001nahu&r=4440564-df51&l=001-fb9&t=c" style="color: #0e4d96; text-decoration: underline;">AP</a> (1/20, Espo) says that Republicans were "honoring a campaign pledge." The tally, 245-189, "was largely along party lines, and cleared the way for the second phase of the 'repeal and replace' promise that victorious Republicans made to the voters last fall. GOP officials said that in the coming months, congressional committees will propose changes to the existing legislation, calling for elimination of a requirement for individuals to purchase coverage, for example, and recommending curbs on medical malpractice lawsuits." urn:uuid:a27fc4d9-835a-40a0-bd35-3159e84fa2a2ETA Benefits Named General Agent by Blue Cross of NEPAFOR RELEASE: Immediately CONTACT:  Joseph A. Pilla, President, ETA Benefits Group 570-668-6800 / joe@etabenefits.com ETA Benefits Group Now Offering Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania Small Group Coverage Plans ETA Benefits Group Named ...Mon, 17 Jan 2011 12:26:44 -0600FOR RELEASE: Immediately CONTACT:  Joseph A. Pilla, President, ETA Benefits Group 570-668-6800 / <a href="mailto:joe@etabenefits.com">joe@etabenefits.com</a> ETA Benefits Group Now Offering Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania Small Group Coverage Plans ETA Benefits Group Named a Select Producer For Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania for the 2-50 Market TAMAQUA, Pa.—ETA Benefits Group, Tamaqua, is proud to announce that they have been named a General Agent and Select Producer for Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania (BCNEPA).   Their business relationship with BCNEPA has expanded from the individual market to include the 2-50 small group market. Select producers can begin selling "New to Blue" Small Group (2-50 lives) effective January 1, 2011.  As a General Agent, ETA will serve as the single point of contact for Blue Cross and the independent agents that sell its products.  ETA will be responsible for coordinating quotes, proposals, and sales for BCNEPA and their independent agents’ clients, assistance with training and selling the products, and sales support as needed. Joseph A. Pilla, President of ETA Benefits Group, said, "We are honored to be chosen as one of the selected producers to work with BCNEPA as they enter the small group broker marketplace." Kent Davidson, Vice-President of Sales, BCNEPA, said, "BCNEPA is pleased to be expanding our business and our relationship with local agencies within our 13-county service area." ETA Benefits Group is an independent insurance agency representing over 30 insurance companies including Capital Blue Cross, Highmark Blue Shield, HealthAmerica, Delta Dental, Travelers, Donegal, MetLife, Hartford, and many other top rated health, life, property and casualty insurance carriers.  For more information on ETA Benefits Group, contact Joseph A. Pilla, President, at 570-668-6800 or by email at <a href="mailto:joe@etabenefits.com">joe@etabenefits.com</a>.   #  #  #