New Partnership with Well Advised Brings Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce Members and Their Employees a Free, Unbiased and Confidential Online Tool to Find Optimal Medicare Coverage
Medicare plan selection has traditionally been a complicated process. There are more than 3,000 coverage combinations, and surprisingly, most people using Medicare are not enrolled in their best plan option. They either don’t have enough coverage or they are paying too much for the coverage they do have. Well Advised has developed an industry-leading tool using artificial intelligence that makes finding the optimal Medicare plan for each individual scientific and simple.
According to Mimi Roberson, chief operations officer at Well Advised and former Denver Metro Chamber board chair, “Ninety-four percent of people eligible for Medicare are enrolled in a plan that is not optimal for their needs or budget. There are thousands of plan options available and choosing the right option can be complicated.”
Well Advised identified this challenge and developed a technology that makes it easy to select the right Medicare plan coverage based on each person’s clinical, provider and financial preferences. Eligible users simply and confidentially enter preferences into the online tool, and the Medicare plan that best meets the needs of the individual will be identified and recommended. Unlike other solutions, Well Advised looks at all plans from all insurance companies to find the right fit for each individual.
The Well Advised tool also benefits businesses, as one of the most important issues for employers is the cost of health care coverage. It may save employers cost by identifying “same coverage” provided by Medicare plans for eligible employees. When an employee switches from employer-based medical coverage to the Medicare option, the cost of coverage for the employee (and/or perhaps their spouse) rolls off of the books of the employer, saving the employer money.
Are you looking for more information on your health care benefits? Connect Well Advised with your human resources department and you can learn how this new technology can benefit both your business and employees. Eligible employees and their eligible dependents can use the tool on an annual basis to verify optimal coverage based on their clinical, provider and financial preferences, just as they would at annual enrollment.
To set an appointment for your business, contact mimi.roberson@well-advised.com. Please say you learned about Well Advised from the Denver Metro Chamber.
Learn more about Well Advised at https://well-advised.com/.
We know we’re fortunate to live in Colorado for so many reasons. And one of those reasons that has become even more apparent in 2020 is our proximity to excellent health care institutions.
In metro Denver, we are surrounded by the leaders in medicine. Our hospitals and health care systems outrank others nationwide.
Many of the faculty and staff at some of these institutions are also leading research that has the potential to change the trajectory of COVID-19 to help people worldwide.
Improving Testing
Adequate and fast testing has been one of the biggest struggles for getting this virus under control. As of Friday, Colorado’s positivity rate was 2.72%, which is below the 5% recommendation for containing the virus. The efforts of Metropolitan State University of Denver, Colorado State University and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment could help bring that down even further. These organizations are collaborating to test sewage at Front Range wastewater-treatment facilities to see if COVID-19 is present in the wastewater. The effort could give health care leaders a quicker way of learning about a potential surge in the virus, or if no COVID is found, it could help with decisions about reopening policies.
With children heading back to school, many parents, students, teachers and administrators are wondering whether children are a source of spreading the virus. National Jewish Health is studying whether children have fewer infections or lack symptoms, as well as whether asthma and other allergic diseases affect the symptoms and severity of the disease. And even with Denver Public Schools’ students learning virtually as the school year begins, Denver Health’s School-Based Health Centers continue to be open to all DPS students, both in-person and over the phone.
When it comes to improving the turnaround rate for testing, Centura Health is one of a small group of health systems nationwide working to implement a digital way to study the minute structure of human tissue and organs and how disease changes the body’s tissue. By quickly scanning slide specimens, the technology could help quicken the turnaround time for test results for a variety of needs, including COVID-19.
Discovering a Vaccine
Experts say a viable vaccine is our best way out of this pandemic. As members of the COVID Prevention Network, UCHealth and the University of Colorado School of Medicineare recruiting 1,000 patients to test the Moderna vaccine. The trial is for people who are most at-risk for contracting and becoming ill from the virus, including health care workers and people in higher-risk groups, such as Black, Indigenous and Hispanic patients and those with certain health conditions. Kaiser Permanente is also participating in clinical trials for a vaccine, enrolling 1,400 participants in California and Oregon.
Treating Those Who Are Sick
When it comes to treating the disease, Children’s Hospital Colorado has been collecting data to research the effects of convalescent plasma on COVID-19 patients. At one time, the hospital was the only center in Colorado collecting convalescent plasma. And, DaVitahas launched two clinical research trials to study how COVID-19 affects people with end-state kidney disease who are receiving dialysis. One study looks at how COVID-19 antibodies affect immunity in patients receiving dialysis at DaVita dialysis centers. The other looks at the link between genetic markers and the severity of COVID-19 symptoms in patients with end-stage kidney disease.
We knew Colorado’s health and bioscience industries were strong before, but we had no idea the challenges they’d face in 2020. They’ve risen to the occasion and then some. Let’s do our part for them – stay socially distant, wear a mask, wash your hands and continue to work remotely as much as possible. We’re on our way to a stronger Colorado and a stronger economic recovery when we all do our part.
Kelly Brough is the president and CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber.
So much of what we’ve been through during this pandemic has been unpredictable and the directives of how to best manage this time have been changing quickly. This next phase is a critical one as we all consider reopening our workplaces. This is a moment where we really need and want to make the right decisions.
I know every one of us is considering how to ensure we don’t increase the spread of the virus and keep our employees and customers safe. We want you to have the best thinking about how to do just that.
Get feedback from your team. Information is key to moving forward, and listening to the issues, challenges and concerns employees have will help shape your best strategy. Find out who among the staff believes they can return to work, what concerns they have, and their suggestions for creating a safe workplace. Remember that the lack of child care is presenting challenges for employees with young children. Other employees may not feel safe because they are among our vulnerable populations or caring for immediate family members who fall into those high-risk categories. These positions need to likely stay working remotely if possible, and you may need to try to find other strategies that would allow you to support them. You’re going to want to know the revised rules for paid family and medical leave before you start these conversations.
Assess who needs to come back. Even if employees want to come back into the office, should they? The state’s Safer-at-Home phase still encourages people to stay home as much as possible. At the Chamber, many of our teammates have been able to be productive working remotely or working remotely most of the week. We will continue to conduct a great deal of work remotely, which also helps protect those who start going into the office.
Rethink your workplace from beginning to end. Think about how your team gets to work – we provide EcoPasses for our team and many use them. RTD has implemented several steps to keep passengers safe, but if you have employees who are concerned about taking the bus or light rail, explore other options that might feel even safer.
Clean like you’ve never cleaned before. Ensure your space is cleaned daily and you’re disinfecting your workplace in compliance with recommendations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a webpage dedicated to helping employers clean and disinfect. Work with your teams who clean your space to consider every point of touch in your space.
Reduce touch points and create space between people. Before you open the doors, think about reducing the need for touchpoints, like elevator buttons and closed doors, and redesigning common spaces and high traffic areas. Some ideas are to prop open doors to bathrooms (ensuring privacy isn’t an issue of course), stagger work times, provide barriers in smaller workspaces or re-assign workspaces to distance employees.
Protect the health of the team. Coming to work with a fever was a bad idea before. Now, it’s critical that none of us comes to work with one. Have every employee take their temperatures when coming in and answer key questions about their health before they enter the office – these steps are what many essential work places, like our hospitals, have been doing for the past six weeks. Require employees to wear masks at work – we have bought masks for our team to wear when they are in the office. The state released a helpful video to show how to set up your workplace to take temperatures.
Advise employees on how to keep their families safe after coming into work. The American Medical Association has recommendations for doctors that might be useful for all workers returning home from work.
We are so grateful that several of our members have released guides to help employers prepare their workplaces or to share what they have done as essential employers during this time:
Last week, we hosted a webinar on workplace re-entry that included a presentation from Betsy Markey, executive director of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, on the state’s Safer-at-Home guidelines and requirements. View a recording and the presentation.
Tonight at 6:30, tune in to a Denver7’s COVID-19 Town Hall where I, along with Denver Mayor Michael Hancock and others panelists, will explain state and local health orders and their impact on businesses. Learn more.
In the end, we’re all dedicated to one goal – stopping the spread of this pandemic so we can really get back to work. What’s clear is this is the moment, as we slowly begin that process, when we MUST get it right. We all know we need to make some changes to how we do business to keep our employees and our customers safe and stop the spread of the virus. Let’s be smart together about how we do this. If you have resources on this topic, please send them to us at communications@denverchamber.org, and visit denverchamber.org/covid for more information and our upcoming webinars.
Kelly Brough is the president and CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber.
Earlier this evening, Gov. Jared Polis released a new Executive Order aimed at reducing the spread of COVID-19. The Executive Order requires Colorado employers, with some exceptions, to reduce in-person workforce by at least 50% by 8 a.m., Tuesday, March 24. It directs all employers to implement remote work solutions to the greatest extent possible and recommends employers stagger work schedules to reduce the proximity of workers if remote work is not practical or possible. The order extends through Friday, April 10.
Employers who can certify that employees are no closer than 6 feet from one another during the workday are exempt. Additional exemptions include:
For more information, please read the full announcement or review the FAQs, which include more detail about each exemption.
If you have critical needs not met by this exemptions list, please feel free to connect with us by emailing katie.doyen@denverchamber.org, so that we can help communicate appropriate needs to Gov. Polis’ administration.
Denver Releases Initial Economic Relief Package
Yesterday, the City and County of Denver announced an initial $4 million relief package to help small businesses affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. The package offers several resources for businesses and workers:
In addition, the city’s Workforce Centers are offering support to jobseekers online, by phone and via email while the centers are physically closed. Job fairs are going virtual, so jobseekers can access the same job opportunities as they would have been able to do in person. Contact the city’s Workforce Services.
Learn more about the City and County of Denver’s resources for businesses.
Colorado Small Businesses Can Apply for Disaster Loans
Colorado received its declaration Thursday from the Small Business Administration to allow small businesses affected by the COVID-19 outbreak to apply for low-interest federal disaster loans. Learn more about these loans or apply directly at disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.
Other News
Health Care Perspectives
Kelly Brough is president and CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber.
Colorado Small Businesses Can Apply for SBA Loans
Colorado small businesses can begin applying for low-interest federal disaster loans through the Small Business Administration (SBA) Economic Injury Disaster Program. The state received its declaration today, making these loans available. Eligible entities can receive loans up to $2 million, and interest rates would be no higher than 3.75%.
Our Denver Metro Small Business Development Center can help businesses apply for these loans. Visit www.denversbdc.org/disaster-relief or email info@denversbdc.org.
We are also seeking assistance from banks and lending professionals who would be willing to help small businesses through the lending process. Please email info@denversbdc.org if you or your business can help.
Learn more about these loans or apply directly at disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.
State Launches Relief Fund
Yesterday, Governor Polis announced the launch of the Colorado Relief Fund to help communities through the COVID-19 crisis.
Mile High United Way and the State of Colorado are operating the fund together with help from community leaders statewide. Funds will provide resources to organizations working in communities disproportionately impacted by the outbreak.
Bank of America, Morgridge Family Foundation and Wells Fargo are underwriting the fees of processing contributions, and several Chamber members are among the organizations to contribute so far. These include Bank of America, Delta Dental Foundation, FirstBank, Rose Community Foundation, The Denver Foundation, Wells Fargo and Xcel Energy. Donate today.
The state also set up a “Help Colorado Now” website at covrn.com, where you can find volunteer opportunities, lists of needed items and links to donate. Tips for staying healthy while volunteering are available at Spark the Change Colorado.
Other Recent State and City Announcements
State and Other Online Resources
The state launched a COVID-19 website at covid19.colorado.gov to help employers, employees and their families. Here are some state and other resources we’ve found:
See a more complete list of resources on the Chamber’s COVID website at denverchamber.org/COVID.
President Signs Federal Relief Bill
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act passed the Senate and was signed by President Trump on Wednesday. Under the legislation, employers with 500 or fewer employees will be required to provide employees who have worked for them for at least a month with:
The two weeks of paid sick leave apply to anyone:
Part-time workers are eligible, but businesses with fewer than 50 employees, health care providers and emergency responders may be exempted by the U.S. Labor Department.
The bill provides a tax credit to help cover the costs and the credit is applied to the tax the company or nonprofit normally pays for each employee’s Social Security. If the leave ends up costing more than the Social Security bill, the U.S. government will send the employer a check to cover the remaining costs.
Independent contractors who work for multiple employers are eligible for a tax credit of up to two weeks of sick pay at their average pay and 12 weeks of family leave pay at two-thirds their normal rate with the same caps as mentioned above. These workers must show they had to comply with a self-isolation recommendation or that they had to care for a child whose school closed due to the coronavirus.
The bill also provides funding for various food assistance programs and efforts to stabilize and increase access to unemployment insurance.
Read the legislation.
Read the U.S. Chamber of Commerce summary.
We are tracking other developments at the state and federal levels for disaster assistance and will keep you up to date. In the meantime, let’s help reduce the spread by washing our hands, not touching our faces and isolating from others.
Kelly Brough is president and CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber.
I know we’re all tracking closely the unfolding COVID-19 situation in Colorado, which is changing rapidly. Today we want to provide you with relevant business updates on small business lending, COVID-19 resources, emergency sick leave rules and Chamber operations.
Small Business Resources
Our Denver Metro Small Business Development Center (SBDC) team is working hard to ensure businesses have access to a range of resources to help them navigate this challenging time. In the next week, we will be rolling out remote one-on-one consulting as well as digital programming for our clients. Our consultants and partners, including the state SBDC network and U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), can provide services to assist with disaster loan applications, long-term planning, insurance navigation, physical and economic loss estimates and business preparedness.
The SBA is making available targeted, low-interest disaster recovery loans to small businesses that have been severely impacted by the situation. The State of Colorado is currently working with the SBA to secure access for Colorado businesses and we will share details as soon as they are made available. You can learn more about the SBA’s Coronavirus Disaster Relief Lending here. Additionally, the City and County of Denver is working on a small business support plan. They are looking at the expansion of their current tools as well as leveraging federal assistance as it becomes available. We should have more details this week.
If you’re a small business in need of assistance, please email info@denversbdc.org and we will help connect you with available assistance.
COVID-19 Resources
There are a number of resources online that may be helpful to you and your colleagues.
Chamber Operations
Our commitment to serving our members is as strong as ever. Our team is working remotely at this time. We will reschedule large gatherings including this month’s Net90, which was scheduled for Wednesday, as well as the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation Annual Meeting that was planned for March 24. Below is a list of meetings this month that are moving virtual.
All SBDC programs for this week are postponed.
Meetings will be hosted virtually, so please be on the lookout for webinar or conference call details for your meetings with us. While meetings may look a little different in the coming weeks, we will continue to serve our members in every way we can. If you have any questions, please reach out to us at info@denverchamber.org.
Emergency Sick Leave
As you saw last week, Governor Polis declared a state of emergency for Colorado and triggered emergency rule making by the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.
CDLE published the Colorado Health Emergency Leave with Pay Rules on March 11. The rules require that employers provide up to four days of paid sick for employees being tested for COVID-19 in select industries: leisure and hospitality; food services; child care; education, including transportation, food service and related work at educational establishments; home health, if working with elderly, disabled, ill, or otherwise high-risk individuals; and nursing homes and community living facilities.
The requirement is not on top of sick leave an employer already provides and does not cover wage replacement should an employee test positive and require quarantine resulting in lost work time and wages. Other wage replacement options are still under review by CDLE and we will keep you up to date as we learn more. We want to make sure you are aware of all resources available, as we realize this mandate may be difficult for many employers.
Stay in touch
We will keep our members informed as often as needed to ensure we’re providing you with what you need to navigate this challenge. If you have any questions, please reach out to us at info@denverchamber.org.
Kelly Brough is the president and CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber.
