American employers spent a whopping 44 percent of their payroll expenses last year on the bills for employee benefits, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce reports. And 2009 will be the fifth straight year that these costs have increased year over year, with an average bill of $9,660 spent per worker.
In today’s slumping economy, 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 desperately scrambling for solutions–trying anything and everything from paying employees to go on diets and increasing their deductibles to dropping healthcare benefits completely.
Order this informative 90-minute audio conference recording, where you’ll 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 will honestly help you rein in costs for 2009 and beyond, 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
This audio conference was recorded on Wednesday, August 26, 2009
About Your Speaker:
Mark Combs, REBC, RHU, 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 degree from Wofford College.
Approved for Recertification Credit
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.
