Human Resources

Winter 2023 Issue

Long-term care insurance – but what if I don’t need it?

By Tom Strangstalien, Insurance Advisor

We all know the risks of a long-term care event devastating our family’s finances as well as our mental and personal well-being. Roughly half of those who reach the age of 65 will require some form of long-term care assistance during their lifetime.

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Rising health insurance premiums

By Chris Noffke, GBDS, CSFS, Vice President of Employee Benefits

Health insurance premiums are constantly on the rise. According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, “U.S. health care spending grew 2.7 percent in 2021, reaching $4.3 trillion or $12,914 per person.” Everyone from employees to employers are feeling the squeeze of high-cost premiums.

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Exercise your financial muscles to get financially fit

By Mark Ziety, CFP®, AIF®, Senior Advisor, WisMed Financial

“Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense.” This ancient advice from Proverbs illustrates the importance of financial fitness.

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Medicare questions to ask

By Mary Krueger, Medicare Specialist

Before enrolling in Medicare, there are several decisions Medicare recipients need to make regarding their existing coverages or changes in their health insurance needs.

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Small business claims that can be surprisingly expensive

By Society Insurance Human Resources, reposted with permission from Society Insurance

While running a small business, there’s a decent chance that throughout its course you’ll have to file some sort of insurance claim (often unexpectedly). Whether due to fire, theft, on-site injury or other incident, some experts estimate that 75% of small businesses faced an insurance-worthy incident just last year.

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Fall 2022 Issue

Affordability testing

By Chris Noffke, GBDS, CSFS, Vice President of Employee Benefits

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) brought a lot of extra work to employers and insurance companies. Whether you are pro-health care reform or against it, per the Health Affairs article, the ACA has not made insurance more affordable.

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Don’t forget to call your mom – and your insurance agent

By WisMed Assure Service Team

With the intention of easing administrative burden for WisMed Assure client physicians, several of our Medical Professional Liability carriers have significantly reduced or suspended asking for renewal applications over the past few years. While this does save time, renewal applications were an opportunity to touch base, review and discuss any changes to your practice that could impact your premium or coverage.

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Year-end tax planning for 2022

By Mark Ziety, CFP®, AIF®, Senior Advisor, WisMed Financial

Want to put thousands of dollars back into your pocket? Who doesn’t. Choices you make during your employer’s open enrollment period and for year-end tax planning can really add up.

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Graded premium disability? Yes, you can!

By Tom Strangstalien, Insurance Advisor

I recently worked with a young physician to set him up with personal disability protection to provide some financial security if life throws him and his family a curve ball. Prompting our planning was that one of his peers in the general surgery specialty sustained a serious hand injury, ending his ability to perform hands-on surgery.

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5 ways to develop inclusive hiring practices

By Society Insurance Human Resources, reposted with permission from Society Insurance

Inclusive hiring practices recognize diversity and embrace a wide range of perspectives that candidates from all walks of life bring to the organization. And according to research from Monster, “Four in five (86%) candidates globally say diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace is important to them.”

Read more…


5 Ways to develop inclusive hiring practices

By Society Insurance Human Resources, reposted with permission from Society Insurance

Inclusive hiring practices recognize diversity and embrace a wide range of perspectives that candidates from all walks of life bring to the organization. And according to research from Monster, “Four in five (86%) candidates globally say diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace is important to them.”

Below we delve into why it’s important to address in the workplace and several tactics your business can work towards implementing to achieve more inclusive hiring practices.

Why is Inclusive Hiring Important?

  • Organizations that recognize diversity and the fresh perspectives of their employees typically outperform organizations that don’t.
  • Workplace discrimination is illegal and building a strong foundation of inclusive hiring practices and updating those with the times can mitigate potential risk to your business.
  • Not employing inclusive hiring practices can damage your reputation and open you up to a host of new problems.

Inclusive hiring practices help to level the playing field for all who apply—combating bias and discrimination. Read, ‘7 Tips: How to Build Company Culture.’

How to Build a More Inclusive Hiring Program

 1. Write Inclusive Job Descriptions

In order to attract diverse talent, you need to make it obvious that you’re trying to do so. This starts with the job descriptions.

  • Use local language
  • Avoid gendered language (eg. use “you” instead of “he/she”)
  • Ensure easy legibility — don’t use complex phrases, keep verbiage easy to understand
  • Use fonts that allow for people with disorders such as dyslexia to easily read and comprehend the description

2. Widen Your Search

If the same types of people apply for your jobs, you may need to widen your search and evaluate where you are posting jobs. Note: sometimes niche jobs require particular skills, so this may be harder to achieve.

  • Advertise in many different places
  • Try recruiting from new college campuses
  • Post your job descriptions on a variety of social platforms
  • Try new ways and news outlets to attract talent rather than relying on the same job board every time

3. Make Your Website Inclusive

  • Include actual pictures of your team instead of stock photos
  • List job descriptions in multiple languages if applicable to your locale
  • Use dyslexia-friendly fonts
  • Implement website accessibility software to make web browsing easy (or indeed possible at all) for disabled people

4. Conduct Inclusive Interviews

  • Include a diverse panel of interviewers if possible
  • A diverse panel can reduce bias and highlight your company’s diversity to the candidate, potentially easing their nerves
  • Avoid using internal slang, acronyms or jargon during an interview

5. Develop Inclusive Company Culture

  • Hiring inclusively is great, but retaining it is just as important
  • Explicitly express that diversity in workforce is a goal and that it’s always considered with new hires
  • Top-down culture: have an empathetic leadership team that understands there are different hurdles for different workers
  • Inclusion is ongoing, not a one-and-done training session
  • Managers should ask each individual employee what they can do to help them thrive

Please reach out to the WisMed Assure team at insurance@wismedassure.org, complete this online form or call 608.442.3810 to explore employee benefits and other insurance options.

Reposted with permission from Society Insurance