Archive for June, 2015

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Tuesday, June 30th, 2015

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Monday, June 29th, 2015

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Sunday, June 28th, 2015

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Could Health Insurer Mergers be a Disaster for Small Businesses?

Saturday, June 27th, 2015

The EconomistA number of health insurance companies are seeking partners as corporate mergers are planned to further consolidate the industry. Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield has expressed its interest in acquiring Cigna. Aetna and Humana may also merge. The implications of these proposed mergers are the subject of an article in this week’s edition of The Economist (Better together?) in which I was quoted as expressing concern that the consolidation in the medical insurance sector raises costs for small businesses. Professor Dafny, without speaking specifically about small group markets, presented research, cited in the article, that shows that consolidation in the industry typically results in higher premiums. This is of particular concern given the plan offerings of the parties to the proposed mergers.

Anthem Blue Cross offers medical insurance policies in more than twenty states. Cigna offers some of the most attractive plans in the small group market. Indeed, Cigna became a partner to the Start Up America Partnership LLC, an initiative to support entrepreneurs, offering not only competitively priced health plans, but also mentoring and support to small businesses aiming to access corporate supply chains. As The Economist went to press, the Supreme Court had not yet decided the case before it regarding the subsidies offered under the Affordable Care Act. Cigna rebuffed the initial takeover overtures, let’s hope their efforts to remain independent are successful.

Entrepreneurs, Unite!

Friday, June 26th, 2015

Today Dell launched a campaign to promote sustainable entrepreneurship. Dell founder and CEO Michael Dell, who also serves as the United Nations Foundation’s first global advocate for entrepreneurship, seeks to include entrepreneurship in the UN’s development agenda, in order to create jobs and economic opportunity for the world’s growing population, known as “Goal 8”. To date, the campaign, #entrepreneurs UNite, has attracted 20,000 signatures from entrepreneurs worldwide and hopes to have 100,000 signatures by September 25, when the General Assembly will vote on the final development goals and priorities for the UN. The infographic below was developed by Dell to make the case for entrepreneurship as critical to economic and social development.

Vote at

Vote at https://entrepreneursunite.com

 

Tomorrow is Take Your Dog to Work Day

Thursday, June 25th, 2015
Great for Morale, But What About Productivity?

Great for Morale, But What About Productivity?

Tomorrow is the seventeenth annual Take Your Dog to Work Day. Actually, for me, every day that I am not traveling is Take Your Dog to Work Day, but for everyone else, Pet Sitters International organized this annual celebration to showcase the benefits to employee morale of having dogs in the office and to promote pet adoption. Pet Sitters International has also put together a planning guide to ensure a successful day. If having dogs in the office is not a daily event for your business, then take a few steps to prepare in advance for your canine visitors. Make sure you don’t have any employees with allergies that may be triggered coming into contact with dogs at the office. Verify that your office is pet-safe with no cables for a pet to chew on and no hazards that could cause injury. All dogs coming into the office should be current on their vaccinations. Put together a kit with food and water bowls and toys for the dogs to enjoy while people work. Should a dog be uncomfortable in an office environment, have a plan to take him or her home or to the doggy babysitter. Never leave a dog unattended in a car while you are at work or elsewhere.

So how much work can you get done when you have dogs in the office? I find their presence to be very helpful. Coco and Henry like to go out every two hours or so for a short leash walk and to take their potty breaks. That allows me to schedule my time to be productive in two-hour “chunks” and I return to my desk refreshed and ready to resume work. Without the dogs, I would never enjoy nature and take walks every two hours. This photograph, by the way, shows Coco with her friend Louise, the black cocker spaniel on the left.  We are just outside the patio adjoining my home office playing a game before returning to work. If you decide to participate in Take Your Dog to Work Day, it can be great fun, just make sure everyone stays safe by following the tips in the referenced planning guide.

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Wednesday, June 24th, 2015

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Tuesday, June 23rd, 2015

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Monday, June 22nd, 2015

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Sunday, June 21st, 2015

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