How common are summer allergies and how do they affect work? More than 1 in 4 U.S. adults — approximately 25.7% — have seasonal allergies (CDC/NHIS). Grass pollen, the primary summer trigger, peaks from late May through July. Research published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine found that allergic rhinitis costs employers an […]
How do you prevent food poisoning in summer? CDC estimates that approximately 48 million Americans — about 1 in 6 — get sick from a foodborne illness each year, resulting in an estimated 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths. Risk increases in summer because bacteria multiply fastest between 40°F and 140°F (the “danger zone”), and outdoor […]
How do you prevent tick and mosquito illness in summer? CDC reports that tick bite ER visits in 2026 are at their highest seasonal levels since 2017 across most U.S. regions (CDC, April 2026). An estimated 31 million Americans are bitten by a tick each year, and approximately 476,000 are treated for Lyme disease — […]
Heat Exhaustion vs. Heat Stroke: How to Tell the Difference at Work It’s the hottest stretch of summer. On the job — whether you work outside, in a warehouse, on a factory floor, or even in a building with inconsistent air conditioning — heat can go from uncomfortable to dangerous faster than most people realize. […]
Can one smoothie really address common nutritional gaps? The USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020–2025 identify four “nutrients of public health concern” that most Americans underconsume: dietary fiber, potassium, calcium, and vitamin D. A 2017 analysis in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine found that 95% of American adults don’t meet the recommended daily fiber […]
How effective is sunscreen at preventing skin damage and skin cancer? Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, and the Skin Cancer Foundation reports that approximately 90% of nonmelanoma skin cancers are associated with UV exposure from the sun. One in five Americans develops some form of skin cancer […]
Self-Funded vs. Fully Insured Health Plans: Key Differences Explained The main difference between a self-funded and a fully insured health plan is who pays the medical claims and who carries the financial risk. In a fully insured plan, the employer pays a fixed premium to an insurance carrier, and the carrier pays the claims. In […]
Quick Answer What conditions are driving employer health costs in 2026? Five conditions account for the overwhelming majority of employer healthcare spending: specialty oncology, musculoskeletal disorders, mental health, metabolic disease (diabetes), and specialty pharmacy (led by GLP-1 medications). Aon projects a 9.5% cost increase in 2026, exceeding $17,000 per employee (Aon, 2025). Business Group on […]
Quick Answer What does sleep have to do with workforce productivity? RAND Corporation estimated that insufficient sleep costs the U.S. economy up to $411 billion annually in lost productivity and increased mortality risk (RAND, 2016). The mechanism is primarily presenteeism—employees present at work but functioning at reduced cognitive capacity—rather than absenteeism. Research consistently links sleep […]
Employer Healthcare Costs in 2026: Why Costs Keep Rising For the third consecutive year, employer-sponsored healthcare costs have exceeded projections. Business Group on Health’s 2026 Employer Health Care Strategy Survey—covering 121 large employers providing coverage for approximately 7.4 million people—reports a median cost trend of 9% for 2026, dropping to 7.6% after plan design […]
Quick Answer What is a TPA in health insurance? A third-party administrator (TPA) is an organization hired by an employer to handle the day-to-day operations of a self-funded health plan: processing claims, managing provider networks, issuing ID cards, and providing customer service. The TPA is not your insurer—your employer funds the plan and pays the […]
Quick Answer What is a self-funded health plan? A self-funded (or self-insured) health plan is one where your employer pays for your medical claims directly from its own funds, rather than purchasing insurance from a carrier. A third-party administrator (TPA)—often a company like Cigna, Anthem, or UnitedHealthcare—processes claims and manages the network, but the money […]
