It seems like exactly what will and will not be included in the Health Care Bill changes on an hourly basis.  A recent New York Times article by Lesley Alderman rightly points out that no matter what legislative changes are made over the next few months, whatever you choose to do with your health benefits in 2010, they'll likely not look the same as they did the previous year:

"The time-honored "evergreen" option - defaulting to your current plan - may simply no longer be an option. Either your employer no longer even offers that plan, or the terms may be so radically different that you may no longer want it."

For instance, while studying her husband's employer-sponsored plan, Alderman found some bad...

"Yowie! Our premiums in a basic P.P.O. plan will more than double in 2010. Our deductibles will be higher. And we will now have to pay a percentage of the bill for all office visits, rather than a simple $10 or $20 co-payment.

Then, too, because the whole billing and collection system looks a lot more complicated, I predict we will spend twice as many hours dealing with medical paperwork in the coming year as we did in the
last one."

...but also some good:

"You may find that preventive services are now free, that generic drugs are cheaper and that wellness services are low-cost and plentiful. Many employers recognize that the best way to stave off those increasingly enormous major medical expenses is to spend a little more upfront on your behalf."

This means you'll be investing time in learning new rules, policies, and options.  Since you're committing time and energy into exploring these changes, take the opportunity to educate your employees and their families about the new options on the block.  

You could offer a benefits seminar, as Alderman describes in her article:

"I recently attended (for the first time ever) a benefits seminar that explained, in great detail, everything people covered by my husband's employer needed to know about the many ways the plan offerings had changed. I learned a lot from the presenter, but also from the questions asked by the audience."

Especially if you're making major changes in your offerings, like, say, expanding your wellness program to offer on-site nutrition lectures, how you initially engage and educate your employees will make a huge difference in the ultimate success of the program.  

At this point, we inevitably circle back around to the Fun Theory. This "theory" touches on the larger concept Peter Bregman addresses in his article for the Harvard Business website: "In your company, think about what you want people to do and whether the environment around them supports the behavior."

So let's say you want people to be healthier and happier.  And you're also interested in those long-term health savings Alderman touched on.  You know you've got to change the environment surrounding your employees, and that change should have an element of fun.  Maybe it's time to offer your company some Recess...