Tag: benefits

Some Self-funded Plans Could Escape Reform Reinsurance Fees

Self-funded plans that are also self-administered will be made exempt from paying reinsurance contributions under the health care reform law for the 2015 and 2016 benefit years, the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services said in final program integrity rules. The promised relief will occur in future rulemaking, according to the preamble of the program […]

Retirement Plans with Auto-enrollment Found to Be Lowering Employer Matches

If your retirement plan committee is satisfied with the automatic enrollment policy in place but has expressed concerns about the rising cost of the employer match that a growing participant base can bring, new research may provide a window into how other employer plan sponsors are handling this dilemma.   Automatically enrolling employees in company retirement […]

Church Plans Sue HHS Over Contraceptive Mandate

The Southern Baptist Convention’s health and financial benefits entity has filed a putative class-action lawsuit against the health care reform law’s contraceptive mandate on behalf of church plans. The suit contends the religious liberty of the organizations covered by GuideStone Financial Resources (which arranges health coverage and retirement benefits for clergy and others) is violated […]

Performance Problem—Blame the Job Description?

Well-written and effectively developed job descriptions are communication tools that allow both employees and candidates to clearly understand the expectations of the role, its essential duties, competencies, and responsibilities, along with the required educational credentials and experience, says Kennedy. Kennedy is the principal consultant of MAKHR Consulting, LLC, and author of the career coaching book […]

Employers Face Another End to QTFB Parity

Unless Congress acts soon, employees will once again have less to use for mass transit expenses under qualified transportation fringe benefit plans, and employers will once again have to lower the limits they allow under QTFBs at the end of the year. The mass transit component of QTFBs, which covers expenses incurred in commuting to […]

Employers Must Answer Questions About Revenue Sharing in Their 401(k)s

By Mary Jo Larson    Nearly every 401(k) plan offers its participants some investment options that include revenue-sharing fee payments. For many years, employers were not even aware that their participants’ investments were generating these payments. Today, in the wake of new U.S. Department of Labor disclosure and reporting rules and well-publicized cases attacking employers for […]

Keeping older workers: Do you risk a brain drain or offer opportunity?

Much has been said about the number of older workers staying in the workforce. Whether it’s to make up for a retirement savings shortage or a passion for work that people are able to do well even when they pass a typical retirement age, people are working longer.  Smart employers are seizing the opportunity to […]

New Business Bumper Sticker: I ♥ My Millennials

We’ve written a lot in past Advisors about Millennials and their supposed challenging generational characteristics. However, I have to say I love my Millennial colleagues; they’re hardworking, earnest, productive, dependable, capable, and cooperative. The Enthusiastic Employee Debunks Generational Characteristics   And that’s not just my opinion. In their recently published second edition of The Enthusiastic […]

Government Shutdown Accord Doesn’t Change Obamacare Much

A bipartisan accord to fund the federal government until Jan. 15 and raise the government’s debt ceiling until Feb. 7, was reached by leaders in the U.S. Senate on Oct. 16, but the final agreement did virtually nothing to change the health care reform law. The only part of the compromise affecting health care reform […]

High-deductible and Health-FSA Participation Grows

Participation in high-deductible health plans and health flexible spending accounts grew at a strong pace, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. The findings in “Health Insurance Coverage: Early Release of Estimates From the National Health Interview Survey, January–March 2013” suggest that employees’ interests in consumer-directed health plans is growing, information employers may find useful in […]