2014 Best Places to Work: New Hire Perspectives

Simone Jasper for Inside Business Magazine THE WELLNESS WARRIOR: Dani Palus shares Be Well Solutions’ passion for healthy living.  Hire Date: May 2013 WHY IT’S A GREAT PLACE TO WORK: Be Well Solutions offers comprehensive wellness services while also promoting the wellness of its own employees with such benefits as discounted gym memberships and fresh fruit and smoothies served in the office.  LIKE MINDS: At Be Well Solutions, Palus found co-workers who share her passion for healthy living. She developed an interest in preventive health care in high school, when her mom and aunt both died from cancer within months of each other. “Preventive screenings were so important,” Palus says. “If we had been able to do something earlier, we could have avoided that.” FRUIT CRAVINGS: The Independence native graduated from The Ohio State University with a degree in human nutrition in 2008. She [...]

Wellness plan moving along for Stark employees

Tim Botos for the Canton Repository County commissioners continue path toward implementing program. CANTON Stark County commissioners continue a move toward creation of a wellness program for county government employees. They’d previously published a request for proposals, seeking third-party vendors to implement and run what likely will be a voluntary program for more than 1,500 workers. After sorting through responses from 11 companies, they’ve narrowed the field to three. They plan to meet with each — BeWell Solutions, Interactive Health and Aultcare — in two weeks. The depth and breadth of such an offering has yet to be shaped, but it’s likely to be gradually phased in. Employers Health of Jackson Township, hired as a consultant, helped create and shepherd through the proposals to get the plan to this point. $16 MILLION PER YEAR The county spends $16 million per [...]

Health Care Reform – What’s Next

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has brought many changes to the health benefits system, with more to come. Please join us for an informational seminar so we can help guide you  through the new healthcare laws. The importance of wellness as it relates to health care reform will also be reviewed. WHEN: Wednesday, May 29 at 9:00am WHERE: Solon Community Center 35000 Portz Parkway Solon, OH  44139 ***Please R.S.V.P at 216-378-9969 (with number that will be attending) by Thursday, May 23rd. Refreshments will be served, we hope you can attend!! We are happy to be part of the Solon business community.  EGP is celebrating it’s 24th year in Solon. S&S Benefits and BeWell Solutions are both celebrating their 1st year in Solon!

How the Health Care Law is Making a Difference for the People of Ohio

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Because of the Affordable Care Act, the 86% of Ohioans who have insurance have more choices and stronger coverage than ever before. And for the 14% of Ohioans who don’t have insurance, or Ohio families and small businesses who buy their coverage but aren’t happy with it, a new day is just around the corner. Soon, the new online Health Insurance Marketplace will provide families and small businesses who currently don’t have insurance, or are looking for a better deal, a new way to find health coverage that fits their needs and their budgets. Open enrollment in the Marketplace starts Oct 1, with coverage starting as soon as Jan 1, 2014.  But Ohio families and small business can visit HealthCare.gov right now to find the information they need prepare for open enrollment. The health care [...]

Administrator chosen for wellness program

Sue Reid for Solon Times   City council’s finance committee approved preparing legislation last week to accept the proposal of Be Well Solutions, a Solon company, as third-party administrator of an employee wellness program. The cost to Be Well Solutions for the one-year contract is $25,850. The city interviewed five companies of 10 proposals it received, with Be Well Solutions believed to be the “best fit” for the city and its culture, Human Resources Coordinator Jessica Vest told the committee. The fee proposal, which is an estimate, is based on the number of expected participants and includes biometric screenings, health risk assessment, coaching, incentive tracking and on-site presentations, among other services. The hope is to expand the program to cover all the city’s 283 employees and their spouses, Ms. Vest said. “Wellness programs have been gaining popularity over the last [...]

The Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ Association said it has formed a strategic partnership with BeWell Solutions 

Scott Suttell for Crain's Cleveland Well, well, well: The Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers' Association said it has formed a strategic partnership with BeWell Solutions of Cleveland to provide comprehensive wellness services to its member organizations. The auto dealers group represents more than 250 new-vehicle dealerships in northern Ohio. Through the partnership, the GCADA said it has made “a strategic commitment to promote activities that encourage healthy living and disease prevention among its members.” A formal kickoff is planned for Wednesday, July 10, when individual dealerships “will be introduced to the programs that can help control health care expenses and increase productivity,” according to the GCADA. “BeWell Solutions provides us with a customized service for our members' wellness needs by improving employees' health, increasing productivity and ultimately reducing our health insurance and workers' compensation costs” said Lou Vitantonio, the association's president, in a statement. Services to [...]

Electronic Cigarettes: Our Position

Background: Electronic inhalers (EI’s) are devices that are gaining enormous popularity in the US and the world. The units go by a number of different names: electronic cigarettes (or e-cigarettes) electronic vaping devices personal vaporizers (PV) electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) These devices use a liquid solution (juice) which is heated to vaporize and then inhaled. Some of the liquids contain nicotine, while some merely release flavored vapor.  Nicotine levels in the liquids vary between preparations.  Tobacco is not used in e-cigarettes, though tobacco companies are investing heavily in EI’s. E-cigarettes are often designed to mimic traditional smoking implements, such as cigarettes or pipes, in their use and/or appearance, although more and more devices are designed not to imitate them, in an attempt to develop a different culture of user. In a recent edition of the Medical Letter® (Volume 54, [...]

“Reasonable Alternatives” – Finalized Outcome Based Wellness Program Rules; effective health insurance plan year on or after January 1, 2014

As part of health care reform, wellness programs that provide incentives based on specific health metrics (i.e. BMI, cholesterol, etc.) will be required to offer “reasonable alternative standards” to employees who do not meet the initial requirements. The final rules also increase the maximum dollar amount of rewards or surcharges to 30% of the total premium cost of health care coverage (up from 20%) and up to 50% for incentives tied to smoking prevention or reduction programs. * Reasonable alternative standards: Employees must be given an opportunity to qualify for the reward if they fail to meet the initial standard. For example, an employer could charge higher premium contributions to employees or spouses who have a Body Mass Index (BMI) in excess of 30. Therefore, the employer would have to offer an alternative means for participants to avoid the surcharge. [...]

Auto dealers get wellness

The Plain Dealer The Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ Association is partnering with Be Well Solutions to provide wellness services to members. A formal kickoff is planned for July 10, when dealerships will be introduced to the programs that can help control health care expenses and increase productivity. The program offers members services such as biometric screenings, health risk assessments, web-based and on-site programming, health coaching, wellness campaigns and incentive based programs.

Wellness@Work | 2013 Winners

The Cleveland Museum of Natural History Special Congratulations to TMW, a long-standing client of Be Well Solutions, and to each and every organization that has put forth a dedicated effort to implementing a successful wellness program. The Cleveland Museum of Natural History, with sponsor COSE, and partners Gallagher Benefit Services Inc. and Sibson Consulting, honored 14 area businesses for their workplace wellness initiatives. Representatives from the winning companies were recognized during an awards dinner March 21 at the Museum. More than 150 guests attended the awards ceremony. The awards honor companies that have demonstrated excellence in workplace wellness. The winning companies created programs to improve their employees' health, work/personal life balance, education, quality of life and sustainability in the workplace. The Wellness@Work Awards program was developed to help fulfill the Museum's mission of fostering health and leadership to a sustainable [...]