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Ask the Expert: Do We Have to Offer Our HRA with COBRA Benefits?

Question: If you offer a Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) to your regular full time employees, are you obligated to offer the HRA to people that terminate and elect COBRA? If yes, can you charge the employee for the COBRA premium AND can you charge for a premium equivalent rate for the HRA (or administrative charge)?

3 emerging trends for employers to watch

by Bryan R. Cokeley The following article provides an overview of how the law might change in the near future based on three issues that employers across the country have been grappling with.  1. Ban-the-box legislation The United States incarcerates a larger percentage of its population than any other industrialized country. Consequently, our correctional facilities […]

The Health Plan Audit: Why It’s More Critical Today

Even after the first attempt at a proposed rewrite of the nation’s healthcare law was pulled from a congressional vote back in March, the potential of the president’s American Health Care Act, aka “Trumpcare,” still weighs on the minds of employers and employees alike.

college

Is a College Degree the New High School Diploma?

It sure seems that way. According to a recent CareerBuilder® survey, 38% of employers have raised their educational requirements over the past 5 years, compared to 32% last year.

Judge strikes down Alabama workers’ comp law

by Al Vreeland In a potentially monumental decision, Jefferson County Circuit Judge Pat Ballard struck down the Alabama Workers’ Compensation Act as unconstitutional on May 8. Specifically, Judge Ballard held that 1989 limits on compensation payments to injured workers and fees for their attorneys were so low that they violated the Alabama Constitution. Currently, compensation […]

rewards

How Employee Incentive Programs Can Benefit from Behavioral Economics

When James Brewer stepped into his role as U.S. Director of Reward and Recognition at pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly in 2011, it was going through a transformation. He was tasked with coming up with a new incentive plan for employees—particularly its sales reps—that aligned with the company’s new corporate strategy, Brewer explained to an audience at […]

culture

How Should Leaders Address Workplace Values Conflicts?

2017’s employee engagement scores are in, and they’re depressing. Only 31% of the U.S. workforce is engaged, says Gallup’s daily engagement report. Gallup finds that global engagement is much worse – only 13% of global workers are actively engaged. These figures mirror those of Aon Hewitt’s research, which found that people are disengaging because they’re anxious about […]

analytics

Subscription Employment: Why Platforms Are the Future of HR

Many employees have begun to “consume” work the way they choose a movie streaming service. Their job has become a “subscription” that can start and end at will. If they find a better deal, upgrading supersedes any existing commitments. Subscription employment is an unprecedented challenge for Human Resource (HR) departments, and it calls for new […]