Category: Uncategorized

While tobacco, and specifically cigarette, use is down, the use of electronic cigarettes is gaining popularity. An “e-cigarette,” as they are commonly known, is a battery-powered vaporizer that simulates tobacco smoking, though it contains no tobacco. However, usually the vaporized liquid does contain nicotine.

Communicating the value of benefits is an age-old dilemma further complicated now that many employers are making big plan changes to comply with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). As more and more employers move to high deductible …

A Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC) must contain:

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has sued an employer because the penalty it applied for not participating in its wellness program was, in the eyes of the EEOC, so high that participation was not, as a practical matter, “voluntary.” Under EEOC rules, an employer may conduct medical examinations, which includes obtaining medical histories and blood draws, only in limited situations.

August 2014 brought a court case that will be of interest to employers that apply significant penalties to those who choose not to participate in wellness programs. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has now provided an additional way fo…

The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) lays out the definition and responsibilities of fiduciaries. Individuals who oversee employee benefit plans need to understand these requirements.

On August 22, 2014, the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor, and Treasury released an interim final rule and a proposed rule that provide some new accommodations to employers that have religious objections to covering contraception un…

The advent of state insurance exchanges last year has promoted a paradigm shift in the distribution and sales of insurance programs as part of employee benefit programs. Individuals using their ‘own’ funds to pick from virtual ‘store shelves’ of a wide range of insurance products is not an experience limited to employees of large corporations supported by big technology and service operations anymore.

With Fall open enrollment around the corner, most employers will need to provide a Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC) to eligible individuals. Here are some highlights of the requirement (as of August 2014):

I have sat with hundreds of employers that want to make a difference. They want to make a difference in how their teams work, how productive the employees are, and better yet…in how they, as an employer, can attract, retain and engage the best and brightest people for long-term sustainable (profitable) growth of the organization.