Maximizing Profits by Lowering Health Care Costs in an Obamacare Society

Health care costs are a growing concern amongst small and large business owners throughout America. The cost of medicine in the United States is out of control, with the average CT Scan or MRI costing thousands of dollars. Simple and complex treatments, office visits, and procedures are costing employers millions of dollars while decreasing the profitability of their organizations. Because of the rising health care costs, employers are forced to reduce bonuses, reduce spending, and sometimes layoff employees, which increases stress.Employers can manage health care costs in a society that is preparing for major health care renovation by monitoring the eligibility of spouses and dependents, investigating and reporting all claims, switching to different policies, encouraging spousal health insurance, reducing workers compensation payouts, and developing a legal team to handle litigation and settlement issues.Utilizing competitive business strategies that monitor expenses closely can control health insurance costs. In 2007 the average employer paid $12,106 in health care costs, with the employee picking up $3,281 of the bill. Health care costs continue to rise, causing employers financial distress.Conduct Family Eligibility AuditsAn employee’s family is one of the largest health care expenses businesses deal with, as children and spouses become ill over the course of their policy. It is commonplace for businesses to spend millions on an employee’s dependent or spouse. Companies can reduce the amount of money spent on spouses and dependents by actively investigating all non-employee claims.In most policies a dependent is defined as someone under 18 or who is a full time student below a certain age. The new Obamacare insurance reform requires employers to pay for dependents under 26; however, many current policies set the age at 23 or 24.Employers can minimize health care costs by ensuring any person over 18 is a full time non-exempt student. Employers can encourage employees to set their dependents up with school-sponsored insurance, which reduces the employers overall cost. Additionally, employers can alter the policies to remove unrestrictive verbiage from the documents, such as policies that do not require older dependents to be in school. Verification of a dependent’s status can be obtained from leading national clearinghouses and verification services at a fraction of the price of their health plan.There are other health insurance loopholes employers can leverage, such as retiree benefits for dependents as well as dental and vision services. Limit the scope of retiree health plans by removing dependent coverage, only providing medical services to the employee’s spouse. Additionally, consider modifying vision and dental coverage for dependents by limiting it to essential and preventative services.Deductibles and Out of Pocket ExpensesEmployers can significantly reduce the amount of money they spend on an employee’s health insurance plan by utilizing plans with high deductibles, which ensure that their workers are protected in case of major illness or injury. Additionally, deductibles place most of the annual expenses on the employee, with the employer serving as backup in case of life threatening illness, expensive operations, and other expensive procedures, such as CT Scans or MRIs.High deductible plans are ideal for small and large businesses that want to minimize health care costs and risks associated with high premium traditional plans. Employees are made aware of their high deductibles and take a proactive approach to their health, avoiding expensive hospitalizations for otherwise preventable diseases, such as diabetes.When employees are aware of the true cost of health care, their overall demeanor towards a healthy lifestyle improves. They also are more appreciative of the services and benefits their current employer offers.Minimize Health Care Costs by Splitting or Switching PlansEncourage employees to utilize their spouse’s employer paid health insurance package if it is available. The strategy can be marketed as providing them with the maximum coverage, pointing out how their spouses program is a viable alternative. Educate employees on the open enrollment procedure, fostering communication within their family regarding the topic.Employees can save up to $5,000 by switching to their spouse’s insurance, especially if the employee was on a high deductible policy. Another option is to encourage employees to split their dependent’s coverage amongst both of the health plans, minimizing financial risk to your business.It is illegal to demand that employees switch to their spouse’s plan or remove dependents from their policy. Incentive programs are unethical but may drive lower health care costs in your organization. Use this method as a last resort, as some employees may take action against the company. Insurance commissioners frown upon the incentive or spousal switching program, thus it is best to encourage the splitting of spouse and employee coverage.Start a Healthy Living ProgramThe fastest and most efficient way to decrease health care costs is by encouraging your employees and management staff to live a healthy and preventative lifestyle. Preventative care costs far less than other medical procedures, which reduces the out of pocket expenses for both the business and employee. Offer awards or incentive programs for employees who quit smoking, lose weight, stop drinking, or take a proactive approach to their health.Be careful when publicly honoring the employee in front of their coworkers, as some may be nervous or reserved, these are sensitive topics after all. Healthy living programs foster a wholesome lifestyle, in which the employee receives routine checkups and works to reduce preventable conditions, such as obesity and high cholesterol. Healthy lifestyle programs can target diet, weight loss, smoking, alcoholism, aging, and stress. Additionally, healthy employees can participate by continuing to exercise on a routine basis and reducing their stress levels.

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An Inside Look at the Special Education Profession

Special education professionals work to promote students’ overall behavioral, social and academic growth. Special education professionals aide students in developing socially appropriate behavior within their family, school and community. Teachers of special education help students become more confident in their social interactions. Special education professionals administer activities that build students’ life skills.What Does the Job Entail?Are you interested in helping others? Can you handle and care for people who learn differently and have other behavioral problems? Do you want to make a difference in a young child’s life? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then you might consider a career in special education. Below is a breakdown of the short and long-term responsibilities of a special education teacher.First and foremost, special education teachers focus on the development and academic needs of children with disabilities. They encourage learning in disabled students by implementing educational modules and behavioral techniques. Special education teachers work alone or with general education teachers to individualize lessons, develop problem-solving techniques and integrate children into group projects with other students. Furthermore, special education teachers are responsible for ensuring that the needs of disabled children are met during assessment periods.Did you know that special education teachers work with a team of professionals, qualified staff and family in order to fulfill their job requirements? It is true. In fact, special education teachers work in conjunction with these entities to create an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for each student. An IEP is designed in collaboration with a child’s parents, school principal, social worker, speech pathologist and general education teacher to ensure effective implementation. An IEP targets a student’s needs and growth areas for maximum response. The specialized goals set by the IEP are woven throughout all aspects of a child’s daily activities. Teachers of special education must monitor a child’s setbacks and progress and report back to parents and administrators. Planned goals and tasks are outlined for family members to refer to while a student is at home as well.The types of disabilities a special education teacher might encounter are difficult to predict. For one, the qualifications for special education services vary greatly from mild disabilities to extreme cases of mental retardation or autism. Types of disabilities include, but are not limited to, the following: speech impairments, hearing disabilities, emotional disturbances, orthopedic impairments, brain trauma cases, blindness, deafness and learning disabilities.Do You Exhibit These Qualities?Now that you have an idea of the job’s demands, let’s see if you have the right qualities to be a special education teacher.Recognize the symptoms and needs of special needs studentsPatienceAbility to work with one or more parties to achieve short-term and long-term goalsStrong communication skillsAbility to motivate othersAbility to multi-taskKnowledge of the most recent education modules, medical research and behavioral practicesCreativityKnowledge of the latest medical technology relevant to special educationTaking the Next Step toward a New CareerOnce you have decided to enter the field of special education, you will need to follow several steps. Due to the specialization of the field, special education teachers in all 50 states must receive licensure before employment. Licensures are approved by each state’s board of education, and the requirements for certification differ between states. Nevertheless, the growing shortage of special education teachers has led institutions of higher education to offer more special education degree and certification programs. In fact, special education degrees are offered at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels throughout the nation. Not to mention, the booming field of distance learning has made certification more accessible from any location in the United States.In many cases, hopeful special education professionals do not meet the requirements of special education licensure due to their prior completion of degree programs outside of the field of education. Therefore, several states have begun to offer alternate forms of certification. The hope of these programs is to attract new special education professionals and fill the growing need for teachers. The chance to positively impact the lives of special needs children is one of the driving motivations and benefits of entering this field.After several years, some special education teachers look for new opportunities within their field. In the most common situations, special education professionals transfer to administrative or supervisory positions. Others, after receiving a higher degree, become college professors and educate new students in the field of special education. Experienced teachers of special needs students have also moved up to serve as mentors to incoming special education teachers.As for the future of special education and employment, there are many changes on the horizon. Most significantly, the job market in special education, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), is projected to “increase faster than the average of all occupations by 2014.” Due to the new emphasis on education and training in legislature, special education professionals will become even more valued.Can I Make a Living as a Special Education Teacher?As mentioned previously, the special education job market is on the rise. In 2004, the BLS reported 441,000 employed special education teachers in the nation. While only 6 percent worked within private schools, over 90 percent were employed by public schools or districts. In rare cases, special education professionals were involved in home or hospital care.Several factors determine a special education teacher’s financial compensation. Such factors include experience, educational background, area of specialty and geographical location. In May 2004, the BLS reported the following breakdown of median annual earnings of special education teachers:Preschool, kindergarten and elementary school level: – $43,570Middle school level: – $44,160Secondary school level: – $45,700
Special education teachers receive increases in salary through additional involvement in their schools’ educational activities and through coaching school athletic teams. In some districts, being a mentor to a new special education teacher carries additional monetary benefits. However, the most common way to increase earnings is through the completion of a higher degree, which can also make a teacher’s instruction more credible and valuable.

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Pay Day Loans At Low Interest Rates

The olden day’s proverb Haste makes waste is becoming meaningless these days. All the work is done hastily. There is no time to waste waiting. This is applicable even for getting loans. There is literally no time for any person to apply for loans and linger for days together for the loans to be sanctioned. People opt for some simple and fast ways to get the loans. The current markets have every way possible to satisfy the clients from all the angles and of course they do it for their profits also.Though there are many ways to get loans from the banks, modern pay day loans are the most commonly used way to get quicker loans. Pay day loans also known as pay check advance or advance pay day is an instant way to get a loan as the credit checks are not done before lending money. These loans these are available in retail lending and internet lending for easy accessibility for the clients.Normally the loan amount is less for a small period of time. The amount could range from $50 to $150 for a period of two to three weeks. The key factor in determining the loan is the interest rate for this principal amount. Since the loan period is less, the interest rate is high for pay day loans. Analysing the interest calculated by the firm prior to getting loan from the company can help to save a lot of money and nerves.The pay day loans concentrate only on the client’s bank information, his occupation and in the identification proof rather than asking for the credit details to lend the loan. The pay day loan lenders are only interested in confirming the repayment of the money lended. The amount of money that can be borrowed depends on the above details furnished by the client. Once the details satisfy the pay day loan company the loan amount can be obtained the same day.The client has to deposit a post dated cheque for the repayment of the loan which includes the principal amount along with the interest amount before the loan acquisition. This confirms the loan repayment. If the repayment is not possible on the date the client had mentioned, then a fine for non repayment of the loan and the fees has to be paid by the client which is very exhaustive.In order to prevent any such calamities, the person has to perform a complete ground work on the interest rates and the fees calculated by the pay day loan companies. The easiest and most effective way of calculating the interest is by calculating the APR (Annual percentage rate) of the pay day loan company. By multiplying the number of pay periods with the pay day loan fees can give the approximate number of times the interest has to be paid to the company before finalising the principal amount. This value can serve as a tool to decide whether to take the loan from that company.Pay day loans are more useful for the lower and middle class people who are self employed. Very low interest rate loans are widely available which are very easily accessible to all. Online pay day loans have made it very easy to apply and quicker and easier to process. There are many finance companies that are available online, on the internet that does the online transactions. These companies provide pay day loans when the client provides the last few months bank statement to the company as a proof of his income.Pay day loan can be a complete rescue when some amount is needed in emergency. Pay day loans are the bless in disguise when the amount is repaid to the company in time. On the other hand if one fails to repay the amount in time it can shatter ones nerves with the amount of fine plus the interest plus the fees. It can be mind boggling. Proper analysis of the interest rate and APR can serve to help save the unwanted money wastage.There are some companies that can have maximum pay outs. Some companies also give pay day loans for a longer period of time but most of them give loans for a shorter period. The amount of money that a company can loan not only depends on the client’s job profile but also depends on every individual company as well. Some company can loan a great sum while some can loan a comparatively lesser amount. A company’s profile also needs attention while planning to take pay day loan. Thumb rule is that more interest has to be paid when a good sum of money is taken as a loan. Some online approved companies also give a good sum of loan to the needy.Smart clients can take the current cut throat competition among the instant pay day loan companies, to choose the best firm offering loans with a low interest rate. Many companies are easily available offering loans at a low interest.Some online loan lenders like the My easy cash company can directly deposit up to $1500 in to your bank account even with out any credit checks done. My pay day loan firm is also currently extending lending hands for pay day loans. The National pay day company extends loan from as little as $100 to $600 as per the client’s need. A minimum amount is taken as the fee for the loan.(can be 25% of the amount that was taken as a loan) Some companies like the responsible lending company offers loan amount of minimum $500. These companies take a post dated cheque which includes the principal amount and the fees from the client for the loan repayment.The best and easy way to get fast pay day loans with a less interest is determined by the APR of the company and the maximum amount the company can extend as loan to the client. All the ground work if carefully done can in turn help to prevent any future confusion at the time of repayment of loans.

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