Employee Benefits Consulting Services, Inc

09/07/2025

Fall reading material is here. Designed for healthcare professionals, policymakers, and advocates, it highlights the need for bipartisan approaches, cutting-edge patient care models, and the integration of empathy and culture in healthcare delivery.

This book offers new ideas for aligning the American healthcare system to optimize health for everyone. Bridging real-world examples and innovative strategies, it leverages a patient-centric framework to explore healthcare lifecycles and identify primary groups in its ecosystem. Chapters explore critical topics from a comparative global perspective, including the role of government in driving access, the private sector's contribution to quality, and the value of integrating social determinants in policy to achieve health equity. By advocating for public-private collaboration, this work presents actionable solutions to challenges facing the country's modern healthcare system such as resource allocation and long wait times.

https://share.google/FBPnTb3Eg6f8ucwFb

06/18/2025

It’s been decided that a strike may occur. The question is when.

06/18/2025

Reducing the city wage tax is great start but it’s taking a lifetime to eliminate 3.74%.

06/17/2025

Great union jobs are available! Apply now!

06/17/2025

An effective employee labor relations program involves hiring someone that understands how to develop, build and manage a labor relations program. Sometimes, the decision maker needs a buffer because he or she can cause the organization to implode. The team at World Cafe Live failed miserably. Unfortunately, the decision maker will probably have to leave in order for the current situation to improve. Sometimes you need to start over with new employees and management.

A scheduled Jill Sobule tribute concert at World Cafe Live has been canceled

‘Jill would not cross a picket line,’ her management team said referring to the labor issues at the music venue. Other events at WCL have been canceled too.

04/22/2025

Health & Wellness Alert! Make plans to attend PCA’s Men’s Wellness Summit on May 1st.

04/21/2025

It’s important to remember that hearing loss caused by exposure to loud sound is preventable. Prevention and early detection of hearing loss are important. If you have any signs of hearing loss or if you are at risk for hearing loss, get your hearing tested. To reduce their risk of noise-induced hearing loss, adults, teens and children can do the following:

Identify sources of loud sounds that can contribute to hearing loss and try to reduce exposure
Adopt behaviors to protect hearing:
Avoid or limit exposure to excessively loud sounds
Turn down the volume of music systems

Move away from the source of loud sounds when possible
Use hearing protection devices when it is not feasible to avoid exposure to loud sounds or reduce them to a safe level
Seek hearing evaluation by a licensed audiologist or other qualified professional, especially if there is concern about potential hearing loss.

https://twulocal100retirees.org/2023/01/24/you-can-file-for-hearing-loss-under-workers-compensation-after-retirement/

02/16/2025

Take control of your blood sugar naturally—discover 8 delicious foods that help lower blood sugar levels.

https://blackdoctor.org/8-foods-that-are-fantastic-for-lowering-blood-sugar/?

Let’s cover eight foods that folks with diabetes can’t miss out on… These are perfect for lowering blood sugar.

02/13/2025

Some Independence Blue Cross patients have seen success with weight loss GLP-1 drugs.

They now face high costs after the insurer dropped coverage of the drug for obesity.

https://whyy.org/articles/ibx-weight-loss-drugs-glp1-obesity-coverage-costs/?

Independence Blue Cross began limiting coverage of GLP-1 drugs on Jan. 1 to some medical conditions, but not obesity or weight loss.

02/13/2025

Save the date! IBX Member Day at the The Franklin Institute is on 2/22. IBX members can save $4 off admission, and The Mobile CPR Project will be onsite to offer free Hands-Only CPR training.

11/17/2024

Breaking News! Weight loss drugs will no longer be covered. Effective January 1, 2025, Independence Blue Cross (IBX) will no longer offer coverage for drugs —including glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor antagonist (GLP-1) and non-glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor antagonist (non-GLP-1) — indicated for and prescribed solely for weight loss in the ​absence of other FDA-approved clinical indications. This change is part of standard benefits for our fully insured group and individual Commercial members.

Please note: Medicare does not allow drug coverage for Part D-excluded use, such as weight loss. Medicare will allow coverage for Wegovy® when prescribed for the cardiovascular indication.

http://sppnc.ibx.com/pnc-ibc/news/Pages/Changes-coming-to-weight-loss-drug-coverage-benefits.aspx

08/11/2024

Advisory from the CDC

New Covid Health Advisory.
Everyone is advised to wear a mask because the new COVID-Omicron XBB variant coronavirus is different, deadly and not easily detected properly:- Symptoms of the XBB virus are as follows:

1. No cough.
2. No fever.

There will only be:

3. Joint pain.
4. Headache.
5. Neck pain.
6. Upper back pain.
7. Pneumonia.
8. General loss of appetite.

XBB is 5 times more toxic than Delta variant and has a higher mortality rate. It takes a shorter time for the condition to reach extreme severity, and sometimes there are no obvious symptoms. This strain of the virus is not found in the nasopharyngeal region, and it directly affects the lungs, the "windows," for a relatively short period of time. Nasal swab tests are generally negative for COVID-Omicron XBB, and false-negative cases of nasopharyngeal tests are increasing. This means the virus can spread in the community and directly infect lungs, leading to viral pneumonia, which in turn causes acute respiratory stress. XBB has become highly contagious, highly virulent and lethal.

Avoid crowded places, keep a distance of 1.5m even in open spaces, wear a double-layer mask, wear a suitable mask, wash hands frequently even when everyone is asymptomatic (no coughing or sneezing).

Don't keep this information to yourself, share as much as possible with other relatives and friends, especially yours.