This is not surprising given all the misinformation and noise around this topic. You should know there is a better way.

I read an article the other day (March 17, 2011) titled, “Employers Still Struggle to Successfully Engage Workforce”. It drew heavily upon a recent Willis Health and Productivity Survey. It highlighted that “Senior leadership commitment to improving employee health is rising.” The Willis Health and Productivity Survey was conducted by Willis North America’s Human Capital Practice unit of the Willis Group Holdings, the global insurance broker.

According to their survey, senior management (leadership) is increasingly committed to improving the health of their employees, as demonstrated by the survey’s leadership commitment index had increase to 42% in 2010, compared with only 6% in 2009. They further disclosed the two most important factors in the success of a worksite wellness program:

1. Management Support, and

2. Creation of a cultural of wellness within the organization.

The article went on to note that employers still struggle to successfully engage their employees in their health and wellness programs. In addition, they face difficulties in measuring the success of these programs.

[The Willis Health and Productivity Survey, represents the data received from 1,949 participants with 71% of companies employing 500 or fewer employees.]

Here are a few significant data points of interest: Read the rest of this entry »

Do you like coffee? I really like coffee. As it gets more costly to maintain my morning ritual of brewing a cup or two, I looked for more ways to justify the expense. I love the smell as it brews and just before I take a sip. I will admit it took a while to acquire the taste for it but now it is favorite ice cream as well.

It is not my favorite beverage. That goes to water. But I found some articles by registered dietitians and nutrition experts, that report that coffee is fine in moderation. They say it has “lots of antioxidants and is low in calories if you don’t load it up with cream and sugar”. Oops! I never knew that about the antioxidants only that I use too much cream and sugar. Nevertheless, I don’t know about you but I feel slightly guilty about drinking it. If has fallen into the category of  “it’s so good, it must be bad” list.

So I am very happy to share some of the new reasons that coffee is good for your health. So here you go…

I read that there are over 18,000 studies on coffee that have been published in the past few decades. Many reveal the benefits of drinking coffee.

Here are just a few: Read the rest of this entry »

Because “The Bells of God” are Calling You.

This good fortune has come to me by way of my grandfather, the very Reverend Frank D. Gifford, Ph’d. He wrote a sermon “The Bells of God” back in 1952 and I have adapted his message for this blog today.

Since he started his sermon with this quote, so I will start here as well.

“The sound went into all the earth and their words unto the ends of the world.”– Romans 10:18.

So what is the message from God today? How is it sent…and can you even hear it? My grandfather suggested the message of God is sounding forth from many towers, bringing their messages to the ends of the world. “For–make no  mistake about it–the bells do speak and many a message’’ is sent. He was not the first to think of this message, as described by this Longfellow passage…

“The bells themselves are the best of preachers;

Their brazen lips are learned teachers,

From their pulpits of stone, in the upper air,

Sounding aloft, without crack or flaw,

Shriller than trumpets under the Law,

Now a sermon and now a prayer.”

It is my understanding that the origin of the bell as messenger comes from God’s command for silver trumpets to be made and blown to call the people to worship. In times of persecution, the faithful messengers went from house to house to summon believers to divine service. Through-out the world, the faithful, are called to action by means of bells, gongs, ringtones, and prayer callers.

The Reverend Gifford provided this example, The “Bells have been rung to celebrate some great events, such as the signing of the Declaration of Independence at Philadelphia in 1776. The famed Liberty Bell announced the birth of a new nation and sounded forth its inscription, proclaim liberty through-out the land.”

Bells have also been rung in times of great danger to arouse and warn the people such as the fire alarm. The bell starts the school day, your morning wake up. Or they communicate the nightly curfew or signal for lights out. Our fire department blows a 12 o’clock whistle each day, but why? For who? What is the purpose of its message? Is it only by tradition or with intended message. The church bells ring out but fewer and fewer respond.

Consider this signal (or message), within a signal. Once privileged men or boys gave service to play the chimes in their church. Today, we only find electronic keyboards playing the chimes that send forth a message unto their community. But what is that message? Did you even hear it? Does the message from a machine hold the same meaning in our lord’s world as the message from his faithful? Makes you wonder if even his silver trumpets would sound the same message of God, if played by machine and not his angels!

So it seems that we are getting overloaded with noise, messages and information today. And many are negative and disruptive to our well being and state of natural grace. If you want to find greater peace and health in your life, learn how block out the noise and negative messages. Find the time to add spiritual thought to your wellness plan. Improve the diet of information you feed your mind and sole along with your diet of foods for your body.

As for me, the bells I hear call me to act on these articles each day:

Have Courage to face the challenges in my life

Speak the Truth when called to act or lead

Have Compassion with others with whom I interact with

Offer Friendship without strings

Focus on Family to change my life and the world around us

Have Faith in his word as his trumpets call to the world.

Related Wellness & Health Sites

Did you see the press release out of Mountain View, CA that was published on February 28, 2011 from eHealthInsurance? I did and have attached the link at the end of this posting.

Here are highlights:

“EHealthInsurance (EHTH) , the leading online source of health insurance for individuals, families and small businesses, released ‘Health Insurance for Entrepreneurs,’ a health insurance buyer’s guide designed to help self-employed individuals and small business owners find the individual or group health insurance best suited to their needs.”

“They suggest that as the economy begins to regain momentum, more attention is being focused on the opportunities available to self-employed and small business entrepreneurs. According to numbers recently released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 14 million Americans are currently self-employed.” That seems incredibly low to me. There must be way more than just 14 Million self-employed in the U.S.

The ‘Health Insurance for Entrepreneurs’ buyer’s guide targets information tailored to help today’s entrepreneurs who need to protect their biggest business asset, their personal health. This guide provides information to help Entrepreneurs as they grow from solo proprietor to small business owner (with employees). It suggests how they should consider moving from individual health insurance to small group coverage. I have some issue with this section since based on my understanding of the healthcare insurance market it would not be in the best interest of a small business owner to move from individual health insurance to small group coverage. Funny, that the largest insurance exchange in place today would offer such a recommendation.

If eHealthInsurance is new to you, here is some background information directly from them, “We’ve served the needs of self-employed persons and small business owners for years,” said eHealthInsurance Vice President for Customer Care, Gary Matalucci. They were founding in 1997, offering plans in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. They currently have more than 10,000 different plans with 180 difference insurance companies. Their consumer friendly resources provide information that is free of sales pressure using a simple online application and approval process.

“The ‘Health Insurance for Entrepreneurs’ guide is split into four sections, designed to address the changing needs of growing businesses:

• The Basics — This section of the guide discusses the value of health insurance for self-employed and small business persons, draws distinctions between “individual” and “group” coverage, introduces key terms, and discusses the effects of health care reform on both self-employed and small business entrepreneurs.
• Self-employed — The second segment of the guide is devoted primarily to self-employed persons — that is, those who go into business on their own or as consultants, without additional employees. It focuses on individual or family health insurance options rather than group coverage and guides self-employed persons through the shopping andapplication process.
• Small Business — The third section addresses the needs of self-employed people who have grown their business to the point where they now have additional employees and may want to consider purchasing a group health insurance plan to provide coverage to employees and their dependents as well as themselves.
• Resources — The final section of the guide directs self-employed and small business entrepreneurs to other resources and provides a substantial glossary of definitions to health insurance terms that are often confusing for consumers.”

We are proud to be a part of the affiliate team with EhealthInsurance. Their privately run health insurance exchange provides access to leading health insurance products across the country. Access to affordable individual healthcare options is a vital part of employee security and employer partnership. We at YourWellnessnHealth focus on creating a better partnership between employees and employers every day.  To get a quote for yourself today click here.

Source:

http://news.ehealthinsurance.com/pr/ehi/self-employed-health-insurance-192956.aspx

Related Wellness & Health Sites