R&R Insurance Blog

“Wellness” is more than just a buzzword. Wellness means having the energy and vitality to be productive, and feel and perform your best. It’s our greatest opportunity to restore Americans and American businesses to better health. Your company’s healthy journey begins now. Step by step, employee by employee, to a new culture of health and a healthier bottom line.

Take a look around. What can you do to make your worksite a healthier environment?

• Have you checked your vending machines lately?
• Got stairs? Anyone using them?
• Are you sending out reminders about how to get healthier and avoid injuries.

Helping your employees improve their health is one of the best long-term strategies for reducing your health care costs. Most people spend 53% of their waking hours at work; you have an incredible opportunity to change the lives of the people you see and work with everyday.

The single issue driving the cost of medical, pharmacy, disability, behavioral health, worker’s compensation, absenteeism and presenteeism (coming to work when you’re sick) is the lifestyle choices people make.

• Chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease account for 75% of our nation’s health care costs.
• Obesity costs employers $45 billion annually in medical costs and lost productivity.
• The excess cost to employers of employees who use tobacco, factoring in increased medical cost and loss of productivity increases to approximately $3,400 per year per smoking employee.

When your employees are healthy, there’s a healthy chance that:

• Productivity increases
• Premiums or total medical spending may be reduced

When your employees experience fewer health complications, the result is a healthier, more productive workforce and potentially lower overall health care costs. It’s estimated that over 10 years, cumulative medical cost savings through reduced obesity rates could reach $282.6 billion.

Your Worksite Wellness team will assist you in choosing health screenings, health seminars and other wellness events that will work best for your employees. Help employees identify possible health risks and how they can lower them and start enjoying a healthier life or understand their benefits and treatment options so they’ll be able to make more informed decisions. Once you get a good idea, you can better choose which wellness programs will go over well, so employees will be more likely to participate. Your leaders can be your best wellness champions by sending emails directly to employees encouraging them to participate. Other ideas can include:

• Decide what the focus of your program will be: awareness, education, behavior change, culture enhancement, etc.
• How often will you have an onsite program and how long will it run?
• Who’s the targeted audience: staff only, spouses, dependents, retirees?
• Consider interventions that would impact both the low-risk and high-risk staff.
• Identify incentives that will increase participation such as low cost giveaways for participation or raffle/door prizes like fitness equipment, lunches, gift certificates or even paid time off.

Your wellness team should be a winning combination of management, front line staff and employees from every health status. Lay out a specific plan for your wellness campaign.

More attention is being paid to Presenteeism than ever before. If you were to google Presenteeism, you'll get the long-standing definition: going to work while one is sick.

At R&R, we believe that Presenteeism is much more than that. We include anything that could hinder the employee from performing at their very best or maximum capacity. Of course being ill is top of the list, but here are a multitude of additional things that could cause presenteeism for your employees:

• Diabetes
• Arthritis
• Allergies
• Chronic Pain
• Migraines
• Stress
• Caregiver concerns
• Insomnia
• Financial worries
• Pre-occupation with health problems
• Depression

Employers are now understanding that they can have an enormous positive effect for the quality of life of their employees through wellness and health benefits initiatives - which will rebound into more effective and productive employees and ultimately improve the bottom line.

At R&R, we take wellness to a whole new level. Wellness programs will increase the health and longevity of employees and their families –which means that businesses can have a lot control over their health insurance costs and the productivity of their employees – control that they don’t know they have. At R&R Insurance, we call this program WellCompForLife! Join the WellCompForLife discussion on LinkedIn!

For more information about WellCompForLife, about self-funding your health insurance plan, health care reform or basic employee benefits questions, contact knowledgebroker Laura Stehno.

After turbulent winter weather and heavy rainstorms in spring, roofs take a beating from the elements. And wherever you find damage, unfortunately you also find scams.

In the Milwaukee area, storm chasers have been known to blanket an area hit by hail or wind damage and look for unsuspecting homeowners. They’ll pass out leaflets, show up unannounced, and offer a free inspection. The scammers know the claims process with insurance companies, and based on the square footage of the roof, they can figure out how much it will cost to put on a cheap new roof. The catch is that the storm chaser does the bare minimum to replace the roof and usually pushes the homeowner to move forward with the repairs before the insurance company has a chance to inspect the damage.

The homeowner is then left with a poorly constructed roof and a claim that potentially could be denied by the insurance company because the roofers often cause the damage.

Lessons to learn:

• Insurance companies should inspect damage BEFORE work begins
• Research the roofing company
• Ask for qualifications - they should be an accredited company
• Shop around for at least 3 quotes to ensure you are getting the best price and service
• Do NOT provide money upfront - they may say it is needed to purchase supplies but it is all part of the scam

Wisconsin residents looking for help contacting your insurance company, please contact a knowledgebroker before beginning any repairs.

We've been waiting patiently and we're hoping that spring will be here to stay! Before you roll down the windows and soak up the sunshine, here are some spring cleaning tips to make sure your car is ready to hit the road.

Beat the Frost: Run the air-conditioning while defrosting the windshield. AC air is dry, so it will take the moisture out of the air by dehumidifying as it cools.

Handle the Pressure: Less air means more contact and friction between the tire and road, which wears the rubber faster, makes the engine work harder, and uses more gas - so make sure you're tires are filled to the recommended amount.

Correct the Corrosion: If your battery terminals are corroded, crack open a can of cola and pour it directly onto the battery terminals. The acid in the cola will bubble away the corrosion, improving both your connection and the odds of a successful jump-start. Once you're home remove the cola residue.

Wash in the Shade: Never wash or wax a car in direct sunlight, or if the paint is hot to the touch. Bright sun can soften the paint and make it more susceptible to scratching.

Replace Wipers: After a harsh winter, many vehicles require new windshield wipers. Having wipers in good working order is necessary, especially during intense spring showers.

Contact us more information on how R&R Insurance can help protect your vehicle.

Spring will be here before we know it! Better Homes and Gardens gave us some great ideas on how to spruce up your patio area so it's the perfect retreat or place to entertain! These ideas are easy and fairly inexpensive!

Water element: There's something about water that's serene and peaceful. Be sure to add it to your patio. Enhance those relaxing moments with a patio-size water garden.

Don't forget the power of fragrance: When you're relaxing on the patio at the end of the day, enjoy a rich aroma or subtle perfume.

Patios often look like they've just been plopped in your yard: To avoid a jarring feel, plant a border of flowering annuals, perennials, and shrubs around the edge.

Throw down a rug: There are more and more high-quality, weather-resistant rugs for use outdoors. They come in a variety of colors and styles, so you can find one to suit your tastes.

Light it up: Give your patio personality at night. Whether to illuminate a dark space or add ambiance to your favorite seating area, outdoor lighting can be just the touch of nighttime pizzazz your patio needs.

With all of the fun, new outdoor living accessories, be sure to have everything properly insured. Wisconsin residents, contact Kori Cumley to review your current policy or for more information.

Claim analytics reports can target high risk claims and provide ideas to lower health care costs. The average employer will pay an additional $3000-$4000 annually per risk per employee, so it is important that a company works with an insurance agent to strategize on the following:

• Isolate problem areas
• Customize a wellness program to focus on prevention and high risk reduction
• Educate employees on the effects of a negative lifestyle
• Capture premium savings by making plan changes

WellCompForLife is R&R's stretigic method to controling health care costs. For more information, contact Knowledge Broker Laura Stehno today.

Obtaining claims analytics reports and identifying areas of concern shown in the claims history can easily be done by your insurance angent. Insurance agents are the key to guiding large employers on the best approaches for their company and develop cost-savings options. Using analytical tools, such as a benchmark, will also help a company see how their plan matches up in their industry and size.

R&R's stretigic method to controling health care costs is WellCompForLife. Contact a R&R Knowledge Broker today to develop your cost-saving options.

Collecting claims analytics reports and finding trends are the first steps to keeping your health care costs under control. But what comes next?:

• Engage employees to participate in a wellness program by offering incentives.
• Participate in a health risk assessment and receive a reduction in your monthly premiums.
• Provide educational programs on general nutrition, healthy eating and stress management.
• Work with Managers/Supervisors to increase their support and change the culture to motivate employees to participate.

R&R's stretigic method for controling health care costs is WellCompForLife. Wisconsin Businesses, for more information regarding R&R's WellCompForLife, contact Laura Stehno.

Evaluating claims analytics reports have become the solution for employers who are seeking ways to regain control of their rising health care costs. Rapidly rising health care costs have consumed company’s profits and loss statements. So employers should identify problem areas, implement wellness programs and make necessary plan changes.

What medical claims impact rising insurance costs? The most commonly seen medical claims fall into six major categories:

• Asthma
• Coronary heart disease
• Depression
• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• Obesity

Wisconsin Businesses, for more information on ways to regain control of your rising health care costs; contact a R&R Knowlege Broker today.

It only takes a few inches of water in a basement to cause tens of thousands of dollars in damage. The average water damage claim, including sump pump overflow, results in approximately $6,000 worth of damage. Unfortunately, many homeowners often overlook this protection on their homeowners policy. This can easily be added with a separate endorsement called "back up of sewer and drain" with many of the carriers we represent here at R&R Insurance.

A standard homeowners policy will not have coverage for a sump pump, or any existing drainage system, and the back ups are also not covered by flood insurance so it's a very valuable endorsement to add. The average lifespan of a sump pump is about 10 years, and eventually they do wear out, but there are a few regular maintenance checks you can do as a homeowner:

NOTE: Make sure the power cord is unplugged before any maintenance.

1. Clear the debris from the basin - Make sure any unwanted items are not stored in the basin cause the float mechanism to fail. Test the float itself and make sure it's not burned out. Fill up the pit with water, and make sure it both starts and stops as it's supposed to.
2. Inspect the "check" valve - The check valve's arrow should not be pointing toward the sump pump, and it should be set up so that when the sump pump shuts off no water will go back into the pump.
3. Clean the weep hole and/or the impeller - Some pumps have a small hole between the pump and check valve, you can clean it with a tiny object like a toothpick, but be careful not to break anything into the hole. The impeller is a small filter that can become clogged, if you hear a whining noise, it could be the impeller - and it could use a good cleaning to work properly.
4. Smells - Typical odors are caused from the sump pump's trap. You can eliminate it by using a bleach water mixture to clean the basin or you can fill the basin until the sump pump engages and cycles the water to help eliminate odors.
5. Back-up power - A back up power supply or a generator is a great idea to avoid overflow when you have an outage! Most power outages are caused by thunderstorms that bring a substantial amount of rain.

Wisconsin residents, contact an R&R knowledgebroker about adding the proper protection for your home.