A simple explanation about HSAs, FSAs,and HDHPs.

Anticipate: Prepare by thinking about whom you’re dealing with and ask yourself how he/she may view the situation. This makes the initial resistance expected and understandable.

Prevent: It’s easy to fall prey to anger, but preventing harsh conflict is all about choosing a better behavior that will promote discussion instead of mutual rancor.

Identify: There are three basic approaches in conflict—rising to the challenge, cautiously withdrawing or wanting to keep the peace. When you can identify these approaches in yourself and others, you are empowered to handle the situation more productively.

Manage: Managing conflict has two components—managing yourself and managing the relationship. It’s about creating conditions that minimize the emotional dimension of conflict. Managing yourself in conflict can be as easy as taking some time to see your position from another perspective.

Resolve: To create movement toward resolution, we need to show others a path back to feeling good about themselves. When they feel good about themselves, they are less likely to feel  threatened and are more likely to move toward compromise.

This is not to say that conflict can be made easy! Indeed, a research report by the University of Florida identifies eight major causes of workplace conflict and each has the potential to whip up extremely strong emotions:

• Conflicting needs
• Conflicting styles
• Conflicting perceptions
• Conflicting goals
• Conflicting pressures
• Conflicting roles
• Conflicting values
• Conflicting policy interpretations

Your Employee Assistance Program is not intended to become involved with workplace conflict (taking sides). However, your EAP can help you determine a pathway to resolution that will hopefully result in a “win-win” for all parties. Reflecting on the ideas set forth by Tim Scudder may be a good starting point!

Did you know that the only part of the body through which a doctor can see both blood vessels and brain tissue is your eyes? As a result, an annual eye exam can detect serious health problems like diabetes. If they’re caught early, it’s easier to treat them and help prevent their complications.

Learn how deductibles, copays, co-insurance and maximums work in a fun and easy video format.

Aug. 29: Employees love to gripe about rising health care costs, but a new poll finds most are not willing to sacrifice to pay less for their insurance.

Only 27 percent of people with insurance provided through their employer said they would accept a more restricted list of doctors and hospitals in their networks, according to the latest monthly poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation. (KHN is an editorially-independent program of the foundation.) Less than a third of those polled were willing to pay more for brand name drugs or pay higher deductibles in return for lower premiums.

Only one idea floated in the poll having people participate in corporate wellness programs promoting healthy behaviors won over a majority of employees: 68 percent said they’d be willing to take part in one of these programs in exchange for lower premiums.

The poll found that most workers don’t blame their companies for the escalating cost of health care. Two out of three said they were offered the best coverage the company could afford given financial circumstances. A whopping 88 percent reported a somewhat or very positive experience with their employer-provided health care plan.

One of the major goals of the health law was to help extend insurance to 32 million Americans. But half of the uninsured surveyed don’t know about several major parts of the law designed to help them, including its provisions to help finance medical coverage. Nearly half didn’t think the law will make a difference for them. A third think it’ll improve their situation and 14 percent think it’ll harm them. (Because the poll only interviewed 154 uninsured adults, the margin of error on these questions was pretty wide, +/- 9 percentage points.)

The poll found two-thirds of Americans are positive about one new government action on health care: the new rule that requires insurers to cover the full cost of birth control and other preventive health services for women. Not surprisingly, support is strongest among those of child-bearing age, while seniors are split about the plan.

One final interesting observation from the poll results: while Democrats like the health care law more than Republicans, the partisan divide has been shrinking since the bill was signed in spring of last year. Democratic support has dropped by 18 percentage points to 60 percent favoring the law the lowest level since passage while GOP support has risen 11 percent, to 24 percent favoring the law.

The poll was conducted August 10 through 15, with 1,201 adults queried. The margin of error was +/- 3 percentage points for questions answered by everyone, and +/- 5 points for people with employer-provided health insurance.

Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, and sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

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Health maintenance organization (HMO) plans

A health maintenance organization (HMO) contracts with health care professionals and facilities to create a “provider network.” If you choose HMO insurance, you’ll typically pay just a small co-payment if you visit a physician or hospital within the plan network. HMO insurance often features lower premiums and co-pays than other plans.

However, HMO insurance is also among the least flexible types of health insurance plans. When you sign up for one of these plans, you must choose a primary care provider (PCP). If your current physician is not in the plan, you will have to find another doctor, or pay to see your current physician.

Typically, HMOs will not pay for non-emergency care if it’s performed by an out-of-network physician or facility. You’ll also need a referral from your PCP to see a specialist.

In general, HMOs offer you the lowest out-of-pocket costs for your care. The tradeoff is that your access to care outside the network is extremely limited.

Preferred provider organization (PPO) plans

A preferred provider organization (PPO) also enters into contractual agreements with health care providers and creates a “provider network.” But unlike HMOs, PPO health insurance will cover some – but not all – of the cost of care administered by out-of-network providers.

If you select a PPO, you will have low co-payments as long as you see in-network physicians. Another advantage of PPO insurance is that unlike an HMO, you do not need a primary care physician’s permission to see a specialist (as long as the specialist is in network).

However, PPOs also have a few disadvantages. Going out of network for your medical care is likely to cost you – either you’ll have to pay a deductible or the difference between what the out-of-network physician and an in-network physician charges. However, unlike many HMO plans, a PPO health insurance plan generally will pick up at least some of the cost of out-of-network care.

In addition, you may have to pay higher co-payments if your doctor charges more than is “reasonable and customary” (according to the insurer) for a service.

In summary, PPO health insurance offers a wider range of access than HMO insurance, but your out-of-pocket costs tend to be higher.

Point-of-service (POS) plans

A third type of health plan — known as a point-of-service (POS) plan – offers a combination of PPO health insurance and HMO insurance services. In fact, the “point of service” in the name reflects the fact that you make your choice of whether to use HMO or PPO services each time you see a provider.

Generally, a POS has rules similar to HMO insurance, but a POS will allow you to see an out-of-network physician for a higher fee. Some HMOs actually include a POS plan so you can see out-of-network physicians.

Understanding the differences among HMO, PPO and POS plans can help you make the right health insurance plan choice during your next health insurance open enrollment period.