A healthy respect
“Great. Just great.”
That was my reaction when the federal government delayed implementing portions of the Affordable Care Act for large employers in July. Not because I have a strong feeling about the effectiveness of the Act itself or its prospects to provide better health care for Americans, but because my staff had already put considerable energy into understanding the ACA and here it was — changing again.
So we rolled up our sleeves and contacted multiple health care experts to get a read on what this latest development meant for Maine employers. Then we combined that with all the other ACA information we'd absorbed and presented a health care forum last month. Fifteen expert panelists shared their insights with 200 people in the audience. We got lots of feedback that we had helped business owners and managers get answers to their questions or frame the right questions to ask of their company's employment and benefits advisers. (For a recap of the event and a list of resources, go to mainebiz.biz/ACAresources.)
As a journalist whose mission is to get news and information into the hands of business decision makers so they can manage their companies toward success, it was pretty satisfying. We're keeping that streak going with this issue's focus on health care and wellness, a topic we're kicking off with Contributing Writer Bob Holtzman's examination of workplace wellness programs in, “In the balance,” starting on the cover. It's clear from the businesses and organizations he profiles that what makes a wellness program work is the commitment by a company to integrate wellness into its culture — not just providing apples to the array of doughnuts on the conference room table.
We also introduce you to the newest player in Maine's health insurance landscape. Maine Community Health Options is a nonprofit startup that offers seven individual plans and five small group plans through the state's ACA marketplace. Although enrollment doesn't begin until Oct. 1, this company has been in the formative stages for two years, assembling an impressive staff and crafting a mission statement that sets it apart. See why in Senior Writer Jim McCarthy's story, “Healthy desires.”
We also offer an overview of tax changes coming your way courtesy of the ACA and other federal actions. Check it out and make sure you're prepared for your 2013 returns.
And although this story isn't part of our focus on health care, certainly a growing awareness of exposure to radon and uranium in our homes could be considered a health issue. Staff Writer Lori Valigra talks with companies that are quantifying and mitigating exposure and how their workloads are increasing as home sales surge. Another factor — new regulations set to take effect in March — are also heightening awareness. Her story, “Testing hits home,” starts on the cover.
And finally, Lori offers us a glimpse of HistoryIT, a company that develops software to digitize historic collections that can be searched and shared. It's a cool concept that makes the history buff inside of me happy to know things like the old files I used to enjoy perusing at the Androscoggin County Historical Society could someday be accessible via the cloud to people anywhere.
Maybe someday the nearly 1,000-page ACA will be there. With multiple addendums, no doubt.
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