OneDigital Employer Advisory

Prescription drug costs are rising, and employers are feeling the pressure. In this episode of The Moneyball Podcast, Scott Wham and Richard Lo, Director of Clinical Services, tackle the complex world of prescription drug pricing, pharmacy benefit management, and healthcare policy. With Richard’s background as a community pharmacist and Scott’s strategic insights, they explore how employers can navigate rising costs, ensure ethical practices, and prepare for future growth.

 The “most anticipated recession in history” didn’t materialize in 2021, 2022, or 2023. Listen to two financial experts debate whether this year will be different.Employers have had to deal with confusing and unpredictable economic conditions for nearly four consecutive years. Running a business is difficult enough in the best of times, but this type of long-term uncertainty makes it especially challenging for leaders to plan for the future and position their organizations for success.  In the latest episode of OneDigital Debates, we re-visit our 2023 recession episode and ask two workforce strategists and financial gurus to unpack the current state of the American economy.  

If you're like most employers, you're constantly making decisions about the best way to allocate scarce resources. This is a difficult and high-stakes task that has only been made more important by rising costs, a down economy, and a red-hot labor market. OneDigital is here to help with the Moneyball Benefits Podcast.In this series, Director of Compliance and Innovation Scott Wham takes inspiration from the "Moneyball" philosophy that revolutionized professional sports in the 2000s and applies it to the world of human capital management. In part two of episode seven, Scott and Mason continue their discussion on value-based care in today's healthcare landscape. 

If you're like most employers, you're constantly making decisions about the best way to allocate scarce resources. This is a difficult and high-stakes task that has only been made more important by rising costs, a down economy, and a red-hot labor market. OneDigital is here to help with the Moneyball Benefits Podcast.In this series, Director of Compliance and Innovation Scott Wham takes inspiration from the "Moneyball" philosophy that revolutionized professional sports in the 2000s and applies it to the world of human capital management. In episode seven, Scott is joined by Mason Ellerbe, Lead Executive for High-Value Health, who brings 30 years of experience as a leader in the healthcare delivery system. With this perspective, Mason discusses how value-based care is changing the traditional fee-for-service model. 

If you're like most employers, you're constantly making decisions about the best way to allocate scarce resources. This is a difficult and high-stakes task that has only been made more important by rising costs, a down economy, and a red-hot labor market. OneDigital is here to help with the Moneyball Benefits Podcast.In this series, Director of Compliance and Innovation Scott Wham takes inspiration from the "Moneyball" philosophy that revolutionized professional sports in the 2000s and applies it to the world of human capital management. In episode six, Scott is joined by George Papagelis, National Practice Leader, Captive Solutions to discuss the benefits and risks of moving your company to self-funded and how OneDigital can help implement stop loss and Captive Solutions to mitigate those risks and save your business money.

Employers were not prepared for the sudden consumer-level debut of large language model (LLM) programs such as ChatGPT. As these types of products become increasingly popular, many corporations have opted for an outright ban on their use in the workplace. Others have adopted a more lenient philosophy and permitted their employees to tap into these programs in the hopes of realizing significant productivity gains. In this episode, we put two lawyers and compliance experts head-to-head to debate the finer points of these two disparate approaches. Some of the big questions that our debaters tackle in this episode are listed below: How do you respond to concerns about biases and inaccuracies in AI writing? Should all AI-generated materials need to be proofread by a human?  In the long run, is it practical for employers to regulate this type of tool?How do data privacy and security concerns fit into this conversation? Is it possible that AI programs could acquire and disseminate confidential employer information? Even if these tools become exponentially better in the years ahead, are there some tasks that should absolutely never be replaced by AI? If you like this podcast, check out the previous episode of OneDigital Debates: Do Pay Transparency Policies Work?

If you're like most employers, you're constantly making decisions about the best way to allocate scarce resources. This is a difficult and high-stakes task that has only been made more important by rising costs, a down economy, and a red-hot labor market. OneDigital is here to help with the Moneyball Benefits Podcast.In this series, Director of Compliance and Innovation Scott Wham takes inspiration from the "Moneyball" philosophy that revolutionized professional sports in the 2000s and applies it to the world of human capital management. In episode five, Scott is joined by National Health and Wellbeing Practice Leader Shira Wilensky to talk about how a modernized population health management strategy can save employers money.

If you're like most employers, you're constantly making decisions about the best way to allocate scarce resources. This is a difficult and high-stakes task that has only been made more important by rising costs, a down economy, and a red-hot labor market. OneDigital is here to help with the Moneyball Benefits Podcast.In this series, Director of Compliance and Innovation Scott Wham takes inspiration from the "Moneyball" philosophy that revolutionized professional sports in the 2000s and applies it to the world of human capital management. In episode four, Scott is joined by Director of Analytics Cassandra Schlarb to discuss one of the most radical and effective ways that organizations can reign in health costs.

If you're like most employers, you're constantly making decisions about the best way to allocate scarce resources. This is a difficult and high-stakes task that has only been made more important by rising costs, a down economy, and a red-hot labor market. OneDigital is here to help with the Moneyball Benefits Podcast.In this series, Director of Compliance and Innovation Scott Wham takes inspiration from the "Moneyball" philosophy that revolutionized professional sports in the 2000s and applies it to the world of human capital management. In episode three, Scott is joined by Director of Clinical Services Richard Lo, who serves as the head of OneDigital's pharmacy team and an in-house expert on cost control mechanisms for employer-sponsored pharma plans.

The intersection between mental health and pharmacy is becoming increasingly important. In this podcast, we're joined by special guest Lucy Roberts, PhD, to discuss how to pair your organization’s mental health strategy with pharmacy benefits in order to provide a best-in-class offering to the "whole" person.

In this episode of Instant Pharma, we explore the prevalence of obesity and the soaring costs of weight loss drugs. OneDigital Pharmacy and Wellbeing experts share strategies for employers to address weight loss holistically in their workforce and examine the role employers have in promoting healthy habits and long-term behavior change. Join us ias we dive into this important issue and explore ways to create a healthier, more productive workforce.*This podcast discusses sensitive material relating to Weight and Weight loss* 

If you're like most employers, you're constantly making decisions about the best way to allocate scarce resources. This is a difficult and high-stakes task that has only been made more important by rising costs, a down economy, and a red-hot labor market. OneDigital is here to help with the Moneyball Benefits Podcast.In this series, Director of Compliance and Innovation Scott Wham takes inspiration from the "Moneyball" philosophy that revolutionized professional sports in the 2000s and applies it to the world of human capital management. In episode two, Bob Simeone returns to discuss the pros and cons of self-funding your employer health insurance plan.

If you're like most employers, you're constantly making decisions about the best way to allocate scarce resources. This is a difficult and high-stakes task that has only been made more important by rising costs, a down economy, and a red-hot labor market. OneDigital is here to help with the Moneyball Benefits Podcast.In this series, Director of Compliance and Innovation Scott Wham takes inspiration from the "Moneyball" philosophy that revolutionized professional sports in the 2000s and applies it to the world of human capital management. In episode one, Scott sits down with Bob Simeone, Senior Managing Principal of the Greater New York market, to discuss how organizations like yours can optimize their benefits spending without compromising on their employer value proposition. 

While there is no federal mandate in place, a critical mass of state and local laws is pushing the United States towards de facto national pay transparency. Surveys show that workers and jobseekers overwhelmingly support this type of legislation, while employers are more hesitant. In the fourth episode of OneDigital Debates, we asked our experts to unpack the pros and cons of pay transparency policies on America’s workforce.   Some of the big questions that our debaters tackle in this episode are listed below: Do transparent pay ranges actually do jobseekers a disservice by “boxing them in” when it comes to salary negotiations? How effective are pay transparency laws at reducing gender and racial pay gaps? Does pay transparency lead to resentment and social tension in the workplace? Can pay transparency help with recruitment and retention? If you liked this podcast, check out the previous episode of OneDigital Debates: Should Employers Prepare for a Major Recession in 2023? 

Friendly debates between knowledgeable experts on compelling employer-employee issues. In this series, OneDigital employees engage moderated discussions on hot topics in the world of workforce management and strategy. Go to OneDigital’s LinkedIn account to vote for the side you think is right.

Travis Dommert, SVP of Talent, and David Hughes, HR Practice Leader of Georgia, engage in a wide-ranging discussion on the future of the American labor market. Together, they cover the trends and forces that are causing America’s labor pool to dry up, common mistakes that companies make in the ‘War for Talent’, and how today’s businesses can prepare for a future where qualified workers are increasingly scarce. 

Senior Client Executive Dan Maass and VP of Member Engagement Heather Rabinowitz sit down with a longtime client to discuss how to build an exceptional benefits culture from the ground up. 

Friendly debates between knowledgeable experts on compelling employer-employee issues. In this series, OneDigital employees engage moderated discussions on hot topics in the world of workforce management and strategy. Go to OneDigital’s LinkedIn account to vote for the side you think is right.

As employers think about preparing for 2022, what are some of the biggest items to consider?  The team dives into three areas of consideration. Employee and workplace dynamics, exponential cost increase of health care, and what's on the horizon in the regulatory environment.  

The final episode in the series on Wellbeing, the team covers community wellbeing.  Community wellbeing is a sense of engagement you have with the area where you live. The team tackle what makes community so significant to people, what are the biggest community obstacles and what can employers do in this area to encourage community wellbeing.  

What is social wellbeing and why is it important? The countless challenges we have faced over the last few years, have directly impacted our ability to create and grow meaningful relationships, virtually and in-person. Building relationships is fundamental to worker resiliency and developing thriving organizations that withstand turmoil. In this episode, the team addresses why employers should be concerned about their employees' social wellbeing and how to help them cultivate connections in and outside of work.  

Continuing the discussion on wellbeing, the team dives into what is financial wellbeing.  Financial wellbeing does not mean being wealthy, but rather when a person is able to manage their financial obligations and feel secure in their financial future.  A significant number of Americans say they are living paycheck to paycheck.  The team dives into what potential impacts can come from financial stress.  

The team continues the discussion on Gallup’s five essential elements with the focus on physical wellbeing. Physical wellbeing does not mean looking like the epitome of physical fitness and being free of disease.  Rather, it can be boiled down to managing one’s health that allows us to have energy to get through the day without undue fatigue or physical stress. The team discusses what incremental changes employees can make to foster better physical wellbeing.  

What can employers do to combat the Great Resignation? Continuing the discussion on Career Wellbeing, the team explores why employees are leaving their jobs and what employers can do to improve retention.  

To dive a little deeper into whole health care, the team explores one of Gallup’s five essential elements of wellbeing: Career Wellbeing. With the uptick in stress, burnout in the workplace is becoming more prevalent, affecting over 75% of employees who report feeling burnt out at work some of the time. The team discusses the factors leading to burnout and how employers can support employees and address the causes to prevent burnout.  

This episode continues the discussion on whole health care and employee wellbeing, including the importance of thriving in all five areas of wellbeing to improve productivity. In the new world we live in, work-life and personal life have been blended, especially for those who work remotely. The team discusses how employers can help foster wellbeing and encourage their employees to thrive. 

During this episode, the team introduces a new series to dive into what’s impacting the health care landscape at large. With the recent uptick in anxiety and depression, we’re finding a third of Americans are showing signs of clinical anxiety and depression within the first year of the pandemic. Mental health related issues have gone up 4X the amount since the start of COVID. Thinking about this trajectory and the hopeful end of the pandemic, the team discusses whether they foresee a continued uptick or de-escalation and what employers may do to help their employee population.  

With the recent FDA approval of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, employers may still be wondering what compliance implications surround the vaccination status of employees. During this episode, the team is joined by OneDigital HR Consulting VP of Legal Counsel Jamie Webb-Akasaka and Senior Employee Benefits Attorney Sarah Burns to discuss the various laws that apply to mandating vaccinations. They also dive into employer considerations in implementing a vaccine incentive program, return to work reminders, and what happens if an employee gets injured from the vaccine. The group closes with takeaway thoughts on how employers should balance vaccination-related business decisions with key compliance considerations. 

As follow up to Episode 16, during which the team explores the challenges of the health care system today, they share how if they could wave a magic wand to “fix” the broken system, what actions they would take to change things and improve the system.  

On Part 5 of “Today’s Health Care” a miniseries, Ron Bargatze delves into a roadmap of the evolution of health care and how we got to the system we know today.  

The team is joined by Senior Employee Benefits Attorney Jesse Hansen to discuss the key aspects of the recently released No Surprises Act interim final rule and the implications for employers.  

On this follow up episode to Mental Health Parity Compliance in 2021, the team welcomes Sarah Burns, Senior Employee Benefits Attorney, to discuss the recent Tri-Departments Mental Health Parity FAQs for group health plans having to perform comparative analysis on NQTLs. The team discusses what actions employers may want to take based of these FAQs and how they can make a good faith effort to comply with the requirements.  

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) fee reporting is coming.  Samantha Malovrh is joined by Anjali Radia, Employee Benefits Attorney at OneDigital, to go over the basics of the PCORI fee and what employers of self-insured health plans need to be aware of.  

The third landmark decision is in.  The Supreme Court’s latest decision in the ongoing saga regarding the Affordable Care Act skirts the big questions.  This episode breaks down the Supreme Court’s decision, what it means to stakeholders, how it effects the future of the ACA and health care, and what, if anything, may be on the horizon.   

On this episode, Samantha is joined by Peter Graf, senior compliance consultant at OneDigital, to discuss the basics of the annual Department of Labor’s report, the Form 5500.  

As a follow up to Episode 9 where we tackled the shortage of primary physicians, we wanted to get real feedback from someone closer to the situation.  Dr. Brian Hill, founder and CEO of  HIPnation, an innovative company tackling better delivery of health care, joins us to share his take on defining what an effective primary care relationship looks like, pros and cons of the fee-for-service model, the reasons behind the shortage of primary care doctors, and how innovative arrangements can improve patient, employer, and overall health outcomes. 

The U.S. is facing a growing shortage of primary care and specialty physicians. During Part 3 of “Today’s Healthcare,” a miniseries, the team discusses the reasons for the shortage, how the shortage impacts healthcare costs, future challenges and potential resolutions.  

Committing to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEI&B) is not about having a feel-good story; it’s not even about being an employer of choice. DEI&B is about the success of your business and, quite frankly, doing the right thing. The world is changing and prioritizing having a diverse, equitable and inclusive organization where every employee, at every level of the organization, knows they can bring their whole self to work is key.

After over a year of mask mandates, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently relaxed many COVID-19 safety recommendations for fully vaccinated people – seemingly overnight.But where do employers go from here?How can leaders effectively manage the workforce while complying with continuously changing rules? Can employers revise their mask requirements and social-distancing policies?Listen to this webinar for an overview and examination of the more complicated questions employers are facing as they navigate and interpret the guidance from the CDC, the Department of Labor (DOL) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released much needed guidance regarding the American Rescue Plan Act’s (ARPA) COBRA premium assistance subsidy. During this timely episode, Annette and Samantha highlight the guidance as it relates to common employer questions surrounding ARPA. Does reduction of hours include voluntary and involuntary? What is involuntary termination? How do employers obtain the credit?  

If we think about health care efforts and legislative efforts we see today, most of it is focused on access rather than the systemic issues associated with health care programs and costs. During Part 2 of “Today’s Healthcare,” a miniseries, the team delves into the discrepancies we see between the cost of care and outcomes, the reinforcing causes behind excess care and what consumers can do to take back some of their power.  

No matter how prepared, how healthy or careful you are, there’s no way to predict when you may need to access care, how much you’ll need and what it will cost. Yet, compared with any other consumer experience, people hardly know their options, and it’s generally not encouraged to ask what the cost is or shop around. Join our Health Care Happenings team for the introductory episode in the miniseries “Today’s Healthcare” dedicated to tackling the state of health care today, what each stakeholder wants, the concerns and opportunities for each of us.  

Now that the dust (and panic) has settled, our team of compliance leaders review the latest guidance released by the DOL. Although there are still more questions than answers, they examine what we do know, the required notifications and what employers may want to consider enacting today. 

Since 2012, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association has been involved in a class-action lawsuit pertaining to their alleged national anti-competitive policies. So then, why are leaders receiving calls from third-party vendors offering to submit claims? And why do so many of these vendors’ websites appear to look exactly like the official Blue Cross Blue Shield Settlement page? OneDigital’s team of compliance leaders discuss what’s really going on, the steps if any employers may wish to take and how to determine if it’s worth your organization’s time to take any next steps.  Dive into the recent Health Care Happenings Podcast episode for a review of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Antitrust Settlement now.  Tune in to the last Health Care Happenings Episode here: The American Rescue Plan Act, 2021 + COBRA Premium Subsidies. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a severe impact on our lives for a year and our mental health and wellness have felt the strain.According to a survey by a mental health benefits provider, two-thirds of employees report poor mental health has undercut job performance during the COVID-19 pandemic, and 40% of employees are battling burnout.Two kinds of stress combine to make COVID-19 a significantly difficult situation – intense stress and prolonged stress. However, employers and business leaders must do more than simply make it acceptable to talk about stress. Without proactive strategies and transparent communication to ensure employees are supported, they risk alienating their workforce, significant losses in productivity and harming their corporate brand for years to come.Join our wellbeing and HR leaders as they discuss how leadership can champion a new culture of wellbeing, the integral role management plays in recognizing the signs of stress and access resources and tools to help execute these newfound strategies.

Following the signing of the latest COVID-19 relief law, employers and plan managers everywhere are scrambling to understand the implications on the employee benefits program, their people and the business. But by far, the section most are concerned by are the COBRA premium subsidies.Many leaders and plan managers are feeling frustrated, trying to interpret and understand the requirements to determine what is being asked of them today. Our compliance leaders discuss the latest updates, action items and timeframes known today. While there is plenty of information in this 600-page law, but they focus on the items that impact employers.Their biggest takeaway for all leaders? Keep calm and stay tuned for additional guidance.

The Mental Health Parity prevents mental health treatment or substance abuse treatment from being more onerous than other medical or surgical treatments.  In other words, you can’t have higher copays, larger deductibles or more unique deductibles; really, any extra “hoops” to jump through. Although these rules have been in place for a while, the new rules are more challenging for employers to follow. The new rules have caught many off guard and they’re effective immediately.  Our compliance experts welcome podcast guest Compliance Strategist Ron Bargatze for episode two of the Health Care Happenings Podcast, to break down the new rules, explore the comparative analysis and how best to handle non-quantitative coverage. They also break down the conversations to have with carriers to access and clarify this information and make available and recommended actions. 

The health care industry and benefits landscape are continually evolving and there’s never a dull moment.  But health care costs continue to escalate, and while the pandemic upended certain expenses for a time, large employers in the U.S. expect benefits costs will rise 5.3 percent in 2021. It’s clear there is much work to be done to address this unsustainable increase and improve the health care experience.   Our compliance leaders have a unique passion for innovating in this space and offer novel and practical solutions to help organizations navigate this complex environment and make a long-term impact. During the inaugural episode of Health Care Happenings, an Employer Advisory Podcast, OneDigital’s compliance leaders share their passion for advancing the political health care landscape, their recent virtual visit to the Hill and discussions with Congress about what the most pressing topics are for employers. Tune in for the lighthearted banter, stay for the critical intel around the latest developments around the COVID-19 crisis, market stabilizers and public option. 

Tune into this podcast to hear what we can expect from the new administration and the impact on employer requirements, compliance around COVID-19, employee benefits and the healthcare landscape at large.  PLAY EPISODE Looking for more information around how COVID-19 has impacted federal legislation and regulatory guidance?  Download the COVID-19 and Employee Benefits Toolkit and tap into the benefits changes, examples of those changes, leave of absence affecting benefits including furloughs and layoffs and more. 

To say employees are working under unique circumstances in 2020 would be considered an understatement by most. We are dealing with an intersection of stressors between the global pandemic, the impact of the resulting economic downturn, political divisions in an election year, and social unrest. Add in the upcoming holiday season and it may seem like a plunge in employee morale is inevitable, but is it? The short answer: it doesn’t have to be. Managing morale in the face of crisis can be challenging but it can also provide an opportunity for self-examination, realignment, affirmation, celebration, team building and growth.