What can Michigan businesses expect as federal health care reform gains momentum?
That was the big question being asked during a Health Care Reform: Defined event and panel discussion Tuesday at the Detroit Regional Chamber.
The answer, of course, depends upon many factors, including the shape of yet-to-be-written regulations and how the Nov. 2 election shakes out in both Washington, D.C. and Lansing. But the consensus was that businesses will likely need help both from tax and employee-benefit advisors as well as from statewide insurance exchanges set to be established in 2014.
General Motors recently brought a fleet of new vehicles to the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan headquarters in Detroit for a Ride & Drive promotional event with Blues employees.
Check out this video interview with Wendy Stachowicz of GM’s Vehicle Advocate Program, who talks about the company’s approach to involving its partners as brand ambassadors for new vehicles.
Age didn’t stop anyone at the Wayne County Senior Fun Fest on June 26. It was remarkable to see hundreds of seniors from across metro-Detroit gather for an afternoon filled with music, dancing and even bingo!
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan honored two senior advocates and one organization for their commitment to seniors and outstanding volunteer service at the event. The individuals were honored with Claude Pepper Awards for their professional or volunteer efforts that have made significant contributions to improving the lives of Michigan seniors.
The award recipients received a $1,000 check to give to the nonprofit organizations of their choice. The honorees are:
Win by Losing, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan’s popular weight-loss competition for group customers, is ready to kick off another exciting round of friendly competition on August 30.
Last year, the Blues launched this creative weight-loss challenge as a way for group customers to motivate their employees to create a healthier workplace by shedding those unwanted pounds.
Since the Blues launched the first round of the competition in the fall of 2009, participants from across the state have discovered the benefits of achieving healthier lifestyles. Between two rounds of competition, Win by Losing contestants have lost a grand total of 5,532 pounds – more than two and a half tons of weight.
Registration for the next round of competition starts on August 23. In the meantime, check out this video of some of the winners from the last round of competition and find out how they became the top “losers.”
Visit bcbsm.com/yourhealth to learn more about the competition.
Businesses across the state are struggling to keep young talent in Michigan. Cuts, layoffs and restructuring are the norm, leaving young graduates desperate to find new and creative ways to break into the workforce. With a struggling economy, especially in the Detroit area, many are choosing to leave the state in an effort to find entry-level work. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and WayneStateUniversity are taking the reins to end this “brain drain” phenomenon here in Michigan.
WayneStateUniversity and BCBSM are both working to brand Detroit as a destination for young talent. David L. Williams, Dean of Wayne State’s School of Business Administration, emphasizes the importance of promoting the city of Detroit as a great place to work and live, and a place where young talent has opportunities to develop and eventually advance in the workplace. This will increase their interest in choosing to stay in Michigan.
The statistics are compelling. A healthier future is not just about health care legislation, but about people being involved in taking better care of their own health. Dan Loepp, President and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, emphasizes to National Management Association members that without personal responsibility, lives will continue to be lost and costs will increase.
The Blues are leading the way to a healthier future by strengthening collaborations with health care providers, promoting patient safety and investing in partnerships that improve quality of care. We are reaching out to youth by supporting community and school programs that teach exercise and healthy eating. We are the leader in offering wellness-based heath care plans that help manage member costs by rewarding healthy behaviors.
Being accountable for our own health contributes to a healthier Michigan.
Four-year BCBSM intern, Yan Isayev serves as a prime example of what it means to “make every experience a learning one,” which is why he has been respectfully noted as Crain’s Detroit Business 2010 Intern of the Year. With Isayev being well into his fourth internship with the Blues, he has exceeded far beyond the company’s expectations, considering the fact that Blue Cross doesn’t have a formal rotational internship program.
Or even this blog? In a short time, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan has certainly established our belief that interactive online communications channels hold value in this new era of communication. But anyone who knows “social media” will tell you that having a lot of channels doesn’t necessarily make you a leader. It’s how those channels support your overall business strategy and stakeholder needs.
The embattled city of Detroit received good news this week with the announcement that Henry Ford Health System plans to invest $500 million in its NewCenter hospital campus.
The move is part of a nearly $1 billion proposal to establish a “CommunityHealthPark” of retail, housing and medical office development immediately south of the hospital. The plan would create 250 high-paying jobs, Henry Ford officials say, but the project is also intended to lure other businesses, including medical device manufacturers and suppliers.
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