Savvy employers ahead of the game on exchanges

With talk of health care exchanges on the rise, savvy employers who have been using private Medicare exchanges like Extend Health for years are ahead of the game in getting ready for 2014.

Eastman Chemical featured in HR Executive magazine

This month has seen a swath of real life examples of employer learnings and results from transitioning health care benefits for retirees to an exchange:

• On the Microsoft in Health blog: Nevada’s Success in Deploying a Private Medicare HIX is an interview with James Wells, executive officer of the Public Employees’ Benefits Program in Nevada.
• Cover story for HR Executive magazine: “The ‘Grand Experiments’: Are corporate exchanges the answer to soaring healthcare costs?” examines Eastman Chemical’s experience with an exchange and what companies and HR professionals can look forward to from exchanges as health care reform rolls out.
• Feature article in Employee Benefit News:“Employers get sneak peek at health care exchanges” focuses on what state exchanges can learn from companies like International Paper and Oak Ridge National Labs who are using a private exchange today.

We are proud to say that all of these employers have used the Extend Health Medicare exchange.

For regular commentary on developments and trends in health care, insurance, and technology, follow @brycewatch and @ExtendHealth on Twitter and check out http://www.extendhealth.com.