To The Point Podcast

Financial wellness is one of the fasting growing benefits in the country today. Studies have shown that over half of Gen-Z and Millennials would be more committed to staying with their current employer for a longer period of time if they offered financial wellness benefits.

Listen to this podcast as our ERISA attorney explains the parts that were struck down and their implications.

In this podcast we explore when leave may be available for a parent or caretaker under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA).

Suicide is a leading cause of death for Americans, but much like mental health in general, the topic rarely gets the attention it deserves. There is a stigma against discussing suicide and mental health in the United States that hinders meaningful conversation about the topic. Open dialogue is an important part of preventing these tragic deaths and establishing safety outlets for those in need. This HR Insights examines the rise of suicide in the U.S., provides general facts surrounding it and explains how employers can help curb this growing epidemic.

Suicide is not a new issue. It has been among the top 12 leading causes of death in the U.S. since 1975, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). And its position has only risen since then.

Since 2000, suicide rates have increased more than 28 percent, according to the CDC. In 2015, the most recent year in the data available, there was approximately one suicide every 12 minutes—totaling 44,193 deaths that year.

Beyond the human toll, the economic consequences of suicide are staggering. According to the CDC, one estimate put the economic cost at around $50 billion, while another had it near $93 billion annually. Factors like potential underreporting of suicide, total lifetime costs and per capita calculations were used in the estimates.

About 115 Americans die each day from overdosing on drugs called opioids. The number of drug overdose deaths decreased by 4% from 2017 to 2018, but the number of drug overdose deaths was still four times higher in 2018 than in 1999.1  Nearly 70% of the 67,367 deaths in 2018 involved an opioid. 

Locally on May 11, Shelby county health department reported a spike in drug overdose activity across the county during a 32-day period.

Within 30 days (from April 7 to May 7) there were 391 total suspected overdoses reported, 58 of those being fatal. SCHD says that’s the highest count since data collection began in Jan. 2019.

Within 14 days (from April 23 to May 7) there were 209 suspected overdoses reported with 35 of those being fatal.

Within 7 days (from April 30 to May 7) there were 131 suspected overdoses reported with 20 reports being fatal.

Within 24 hours (on May 5) there were 20 overdoses reported and four of those reports ended in death.

There are many factors that come into play when choosing the right Human Capital Management system for your company.

In today’s business world, there are ever changing laws and compliance that companies have to adhere to.

In our ever changing world, technology is very important in today’s businesses.

In an effort to help ease the compliance burden on employers and employees during COVID-19, many deadlines for affecting COBRA, special enrollment periods, claims and appeals, and notices and disclosures, and more have been temporarily suspended. Notably, the HIPAA special enrollment deadline and the COBRA deadline for both enrollment and premium payment have been suspended.

In light of the fact that COVID-19 and stay-at-home orders have kept people at home, meaning claim utilization has been reduced significantly, several ancillary and some medical carriers are offering premium credits.