How Does Healthcare Reform Affect Businesses and Their Wellness Programs?

The following video, produced by CBS News, illustrates how small businesses may benefit the most from healthcare reform:

According to this video and its accompanying article, some of the main goals of healthcare reform are to limit spikes in insurance costs and to incentivize businesses to cover more workers.

But what about those larger companies that will have to pay more to cover their employees?  According to an article by NPR, these companies will have to offer more benefits and consumer protections such as free preventive services and guaranteed direct access to obstetricians or gynecologists for women.

Additionally, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers, health insurance costs are naturally going to rise in the coming year due to inflation, and the new benefits of healthcare reform won’t take effect for another three years.  Some employers may deal with this projected 9% medical inflation rate by shifting costs to workers.

Alternatively, offering more preventative care and wellness programs for employees may actually boost the profitability of companies.  The National Business Group of Health (NBGH) claims that for every dollar spent per employee on preventive services and health improvement programs, employers can get back three dollars in profit due to decreased absenteeism and increased productivity.

The Gulf Coast Oil Spill and Lessons in Crisis Communications

As oil continues to pour into the Gulf Coast, damaging human and environmental welfare in incomprehensible ways, we try to think of the positive lessons that have emerged from this tragedy.

Some of these lessons come from looking into our personal use of petroleum (the demand that drives offshore drilling), some of them come from watching how our governmental leaders respond to this national misfortune (perhaps with energy policy?), and others come from the actions and words of the responsible parties.

BP recently launched the following ad campaign in an attempt to reassure our nation that they “will make this right”:

Unfortunately for BP, the campaign has received widespread criticism due in large part to the general lack of credibility that BP has accumulated.  Inaccurate estimates, failed attempts to quell the oil flow, $5,000 settlements to keep residents from suing, and courtroom battles have all contributed to public mistrust of BP.

The ad campaign reinforces negative public sentiment toward the company because its message does not align with BP’s actions to date.

On top of the cost of cleanup, BP has suffered both stock and reputational losses and its image as a “green” company publicly terminated following its removal from the NASDAQ OMX CRD Global Sustainability 50 Index.  BP need not suffer to this extent; companies in the oil industry have dealt with oil spills of various sizes in the past.  The differentiating factor may not be the crisis itself, but how the company responds.

Lessons in crisis communications:*

Banking Sector’s Perceived vs. Actual Sustainability

According to a new study released by MapChange 2010, consumers perceived 50% of the banking sector to be less sustainable than it actually is.  This leaves a significant opportunity for banks to communicate their sustainability practices to consumers in order to more fully capitalize on their efforts.

The study, conducted in partnership with Climate Counts and Angus Reid Public Opinion, ranked banks’ “actual and perceived leadership in addressing climate change.”