It’s the most wonderful, and often stressful, time of the year. The holidays are upon us and many employees are balancing preparations for festivities with … Read more
Help Your Older Workers Navigate the Tricky Medicare Maze
Preparing for retirement is a big task. Retirement brings several changes, such as income variations and loss of benefits. Transitioning from employer … Read more
Why Medicare May Be a Better Choice For Your Older Workers
Older workers who continue to work past retirement age is a trend that impacts every part of the organization, from the C-suite all the way to new hires. … Read more
Low Wage Workers Pay Bigger Share of Rising Health Benefits Costs
Health insurance premiums and deductibles for job-based coverage edged upward in 2019, surpassing increases in both wages and inflation, according to an … Read more
New Rule Lets Employees Use HRAs to Pay For Health Care
The new health reimbursement arrangement (or account) (HRA) ruling by the US departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and Treasury gives employers … Read more
Employers Could See Benefits From Healthcare Bill Making Brokers More Transparent
A bipartisan bill to reform the cost of health care for Americans is making its way through the US Senate. In a nutshell, the Lower Health Care Costs Act, … Read more
Pressure Growing on Employers to Improve Mental Health Care
In the middle of a work project at a global corporate consulting firm, Katherine Switz was gripped with a debilitating bout of anxiety. Her body froze, her … Read more
Health Care Reform Could Cost 2 Million Jobs But Benefit Other Employers
As calls for radical health reform grow louder, many on the right, in the center and in the health care industry are arguing that proposals like “Medicare … Read more
Is Your Health Plan Contributing to the Opioid Epidemic?
In response to today’s opioid crisis, the Food and Drug Administration is pushing for naloxone, an overdose-reversing nasal spray, to become available to … Read more
This May Be the Year to Self-Fund Your Health Plan
Note: Brian Uhlig is a senior partner at Alera Group and a Health Rosetta-certified employee benefits advisor who has worked with both large and small … Read more
6 Easy Ways to Help Your Employees Eat Healthy in the New Year
Everyone knows the way to a person’s heart, but who knew the way to attract employees and keep them healthy is also through their stomach? With the … Read more
Employers Moving Away From High-Deductible Plans
With workers harder to find and Obamacare’s tax on generous coverage postponed, employers are hitting pause on a feature of job-based medical insurance … Read more
Educate Employees About the Value of Benefits This Open Enrollment Season
Open enrollment is barreling down the tracks once again. It seems to be gaining speed each year. More benefits. More systems. Higher costs. Increased … Read more
Consider Value-Based Health Care as an Alternative to Wellness
In an evolving labor market where employees are expecting (and receiving) higher pay and better perks, employers often compete in the race for top talent … Read more
4 Questions to Ask When Choosing a Smoking Cessation Program
Tobacco use is the most common substance use disorder in the U.S. Between 8% and 18% of healthcare expenditures, depending on smoking prevalence, are … Read more
It’s Time to Rebrand the HDHP and Here’s How
As a marketing professional, I am highly aware that presentation is everything. In my opinion, there are several marketing hacks that the health care … Read more
An Insurance Primer For Small Businesses That Want to Stay Competitive
For many small businesses, the struggle to compete with larger companies for talent is an uphill battle — particularly when it comes to benefit offerings. … Read more
9 Reasons to Invest in Benefits You’re Not Offering Now
So you’ve survived open enrollment. Now that you’re finished fielding 10,000 questions about health care plans, you can start looking ahead to 2018. New … Read more
What If You Asked ‘How Are You’ and Really Meant It?
What would you do if someone honestly answered that rhetorical greeting we all use, “How are you?” What if instead of “Fine” or … Read more
The Looming Showdown: Privacy, Wellness and Productivity
Shortly after purchasing my first Fitbit, I noticed a change in my airport travel routine. Instead of looking for moving sidewalks or a comfy seat, I … Read more