Tag: corporations

Michigan Corporation Offering Progressive Health Insurance Model

POSTED: 01/10/18, 11:28 AM EST, Reprinted, Aurore Henze, The Oakland Press
Aurore Henze touring Atlas Copco
Sunny Connolly with Aurore Henze
Aurore Henze with Kyle Bingham

Changes are taking place in the insurance sphere. More Michiganians are choosing direct primary-care medicine, auditing companies are fighting insurance corruption and some mammoth corporations are putting employees first by reimbursing left over insurance expenses.

Michigan is at the forefront of some of these progressive concepts that prove corporate America can work optimally if given the correct tools and management.

Kyle Bingham of Premier Private Physicians and SALTA Direct Primary Care, gave me some insight as to why and how the concierge medicine or direct primary care business model for insurance is picking up speed.

“Companies are tired of paying more and receiving less,” Bingham says. “Both of our models attract and retain top talent and act as a differentiator from what their competition is offering in terms of traditional insurance benefits.

“We offer a flat fee, which is easy for the business to budget, and our services are giving individuals and families better access and care while lowering overall health care costs.”

Besides building convenience and trust, high level executives appreciate the idea of a medical model that can compete at the same pace as their lifestyle. Having a doctor who knows you, that you can call in a pinch and can be creative with their time for your sake has been a much needed and missing accessory to our current health care model.

Companies like Patterson Bryant Insurance group in Bingham Farms have become a much needed resource when it comes to companies streamlining insurance expenses for their employees and bottom line.

“You would be surprised the millions of dollars that corporations spend in false or outdated health insurance policies for their employees;”

….this could be anything from employees adding false family and friends or doctors charging for services that weren’t actually done. We’ve seen it all,” says Sunny Connolly, a partner at the firm. He adds, “2018 is going to be “a tipping point for companies in Michigan seeking insurance.”

So, how do corporations respond to streamlined insurance audits like this?

Well, nobody quite knows how to handle their employee insurance packages as ethically and responsibly as machining corporation Atlas Copco, headquartered in Auburn Hills. This hugely successful multinational company continues to reward its employees year after year with bonuses from left over insurance policy funds.

Atlas Copco is a Swedish industrial company with an inclusive employee business model that continues to have an excellent employee retention base. Atlas serves customers in more than 180 countries and has almost 5,000 employees. Its business model is one for the entire world to watch, and we are lucky to have it in Michigan.

“Our employees are happy and we all work together,” says General Manager Anders Hoberg. “It’s important that corporations that compete in the global economy keep the health and trust of their employees at the forefront of their goals and a part of their bottom line.”

Aurore Henze is a naturopath and CEO of Michigan Health Star, a division of Health Star Media, a national multimedia health hub. SUBSCRIBE to ourYoutube channel for the latest video updates. Join 14k followers and follow at michiganhealthstar.com …Facebook and Twitter.

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by Aurore Henze

Progressive Companies Michigan is Proud Of!

This article is reprinted from The Oakland Press, 5/3/2017

Corporate America, you know the drill: limited vacation time, not enough time off after having children and the dreaded insurance game.

Many of us don’t fully understand our corporate insurance policies, but we all have felt taken advantage of or limited by archaic insurance policies.

The Swedish-American company Atlas Copco in Auburn Hills aims to change that by using some progressive European policies in the United States.

Atlas Copco, an industrial tools and equipment manufacturer, is half of a mile from the expressway, in a corporate landscape. Outside, it blends with the industrial theme, but on the inside it’s the happy employees, strategic interior design and extra benefits offered to employees that make this company stand out. I toured Atlas Copco and sat down with General Manager, Anders Hoberg and Human Resource Manager, Roberta Brown, to find out why their employee retention rate is so high.

Aurore Henze, Michigan Health Star, with ATLAS COPCO, General Manager of American Operations, Anders Hoberg

“We were looking to improve our North American sector,” Hoberg said. “We’ve been here in metro Detroit for over 50 years and employ over 640 hard-working men and women, and we wanted to make new policies that focus on health, family, safety and the environment.

“The very things that are important to our employees are also important to us, as a company.”

Atlas has indeed hit those marks of improvement. In 2015 it won the Safety Health & Environmental Award and set a new standard in the corporate sector by starting what’s called SHE week. This is a week worth of activities focused on health and quality of life. But it doesn’t stop there.

Free yoga classes, monthly massages, baskets of fresh fruit, weight watcher programs and smoking cessation programs are all offered by the company either free or at a discounted price. Roberta Brown explains it like this, “Everyone has a voice here, we have open communication and we strive to provide a relaxed environment conducive to working both alone and together.”

“By making the kitchen the center of the office, as a meeting place and by making management accessible among the employees and not sealed off somewhere on another level, has greatly improved the employees work ethic, as they respond favorably to trust and freedom,” she says.

What stood out to me, when I took the tour, were all the smiling faces and the benefits I learned about, such as the lenient work-from-home policies, generous vacation and new parental leave policies. Atlas continues to succeed in the insurance segment, with monthly premium costs 20 percent lower than the national average.

But what about other companies? How can they follow suit, with all the new changes in insurance and the fragility of the Affordable Care Act, where does Michigan stand?

I spoke with Sunny Connolly of Patterson-Bryant insurance in Bingham Farms to get the scoop on new Michigan insurance laws.

“Small business plans have the ability to offer a HRA, which allows for businesses to reimburse employees for premiums and out-of-pocket expenses,” Connolly says. “Larger businesses, over 50 employees, still need to follow the compliance requirements when offering group health plans, such as ERISA, COBRA and Family Medical Leave Act.”

To avoid being audited by the Department of Labor, Connolly says, while Obamacare is still in place businesses are required to follow the act’s rules. Insurance brokers recommend that employers use third-party administrators, who have audit guarantees and hold-harmless clauses.

Aurore Henze, is the host and CEO of Michigan Health Star, a division of Health Star Media. Visit michiganhealthstar.com and subscribe to the Michigan Health Star YouTube channel for weekly updates.

by Aurore Henze