This audio conference was recorded on Monday - January 19, 2009

Credits:

This program has been approved for 1.5 recertification credit hours toward PHR and SPHR recertification through the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI). For more information about certification or recertification, please visit the HRCI homepage at www.hrci.org. The use of this seal is not an endorsement by HRCI of the quality of the program. It means that this program has met HRCI’s criteria to be pre-approved for recertification.

Description:

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce reports that in 2008, a whopping 44 percent of the payroll expenses in the average business went straight to paying the bills for employee benefits. And, as 2009 approaches, Aon Consulting says healthcare costs for employers will jump at least 10 percent in the new year.

With these pressures, you’ll find it very difficult to preserve your current healthcare coverage (or add any new programs) and keep your workers happy with their benefits. That’s why many employers around the country are already scrambling for solutions-trying everything from paying employees to go on diets and increasing their deductibles to dropping healthcare benefits completely.

Order this informative, practical 90-minute audio conference recording, as our expert shares proven strategies for analyzing, comparing, managing, and reducing your healthcare benefits programs. You’ll learn how to audit your current benefits and benchmark them against other employers, how to select the best benefits vendors and partners, and how to communicate benefits changes to your workers without chasing them off to your competitors in the process.

Speaker(s):

Mark Combs, REBC, CLU, CFA, CFP, ChFC, is vice president and a partner in Horne/Guest, a nationwide, multi-million-dollar employee benefit advisory practice based in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. His firm is one of the largest employee benefit advisory firms in the southeastern United States, counseling many successful employers and corporations around the country. He writes and speaks extensively on employee benefits trends and strategies, with an emphasis on helping employers get the maximum possible value from their benefits programs and automating benefits processes to make life easier for them. He earned his bachelor’s degrees from Wofford College.

You and your colleagues will learn:

• The first step you should take in examining your current healthcare benefits and expenses-before you do anything else
• Which healthcare expenses will increase the most for many employers in 2009, and what you can do to curb those price hikes
• How to audit your existing benefits and find the proper benchmarks to see how you stack up against similar workplaces, and your competitors
• The best practices for shopping around to identify the best healthcare vendors to fit your needs-and, when you find them, how to negotiate the best deals
• Which new healthcare benefits trends could help you rein in costs in 2009, from wellness programs to consumer-driven health plans
• How to monitor the ongoing costs of your benefits programs and guard against nasty surprises at renewal time