benefits Archives - Page 12 of 30

Strategic Benefits Communication: The Power of Knowing your Audience—Part Two of a Five-Part Series | PA Benefit Advisors

March 30, 2017

In my last post, I discussed using employee engagement as a measurement of benefits communication success. We know employees have concerns about their financial well-being, and look to their employers for education about new and existing benefit options. This, of course, can present challenges at open enrollment, as well as year-round communication efforts. Common challenges … Continued

CMS Allows States to Extend Life of “Grandmothered” or Transitional Health Insurance Policies | PA Benefit Consultants

March 25, 2017

On February 23, 2017, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its Insurance Standards Bulletin Series, in which it re-extended its transitional policy for non-grandfathered coverage in the small group and individual health insurance markets. States may permit issuers that have renewed policies under the transitional policy continually … Continued

Long-Awaited Repeal and Replacement Plan for ACA Unveiled | PA Benefit Advisors

March 23, 2017

On March 6, 2017, the U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee released a proposed budget reconciliation bill, entitled the American Health Care Act, to replace portions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). If enacted, the American Health Care Act would provide some relief from provisions of the ACA for employers and make other … Continued

Workplace Cybersecurity Begins with Employees | PA Benefit Consultants

March 16, 2017

I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now From up and down and still somehow It’s cloud illusions I recall I really don’t know clouds at all — Joni Mitchell, “Both Sides, Now” And like that song from 1969, it appears that most employees really don’t know cloud computing at all. In an article on … Continued

Tax Treatment of Fixed Indemnity Health Plans | PA Benefit Advisors

March 10, 2017

A fixed indemnity health plan pays a specific amount of cash for certain health-related events (for example, $40 per office visit or $100 per hospital day). The amount paid is neither related to the medical expense incurred, nor coordinated with other health coverage. Further, a fixed indemnity health plan is considered an “excepted benefit.” Under … Continued

Gig Economy 101 | PA Benefit Advisors

March 7, 2017

What is a Gig Economy?

Benchmarking Your Cost-Shifting Strategy | PA Benefit Advisors

March 6, 2017

We recently shared healthcare cost benchmarking best practices and reported on the best and worst industries/states for group healthcare. But how much are you contributing toward healthcare costs vs. your employees? That’s a key benchmark, especially when “cost-shifting” is the main strategy for mitigating risk for employers. You may have the most affordable plan, but … Continued

The “Line 22” Question: Which Box(es) Do I Check? | PA Benefit Advisors

March 2, 2017

Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), individuals are required to have health insurance while applicable large employers (ALEs) are required to offer health benefits to their full-time employees. In order for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to verify that (1) individuals have the required minimum essential coverage, (2) individuals who request premium … Continued

Stemming the Tide of Opioid Abuse: A Brief Guide for Employers | PA Benefit Advisors

February 27, 2017

In January 2017, an NBC news investigation found that an “epidemic” of opioid abuse had helped turn the once-prosperous city of Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, into “the most unhappy place in America.” Working in the epicenter of the “scourge” that had resulted in 137 fatal overdoses in a county of only 318,000 people in 2016, the … Continued

Keeping Pace with the Protecting Affordable Coverage for Employees Act | PA Benefit Advisors

February 23, 2017

Last fall, President Barack Obama signed the Protecting Affordable Coverage for Employees Act (PACE), which preserved the historical definition of small employer to mean an employer that employs 1 to 50 employees. Prior to this newly signed legislation, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) was set to expand the definition of a small employer to include … Continued

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