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Workers’ enhanced ability under reform to get insurance apart from their employer reduces the importance of health insurance as a means to recruit, compensate and retain workers, a June 2011 study concludes. Researchers at McKinsey Quarterly also predicted that as many as 30 percent of employers could stop providing benefits to workers after health reform […]
Once, parents were not the only ones celebrating a child’s college graduation — employers were too. While parents were looking forward to kids finally getting out on their own, employers were anticipating getting them off of their group health plan. But health care reform means that employers have to wait a little longer to break […]
A dreaded accounting-of-disclosure rule for electronic protected health information (ePHI) will require action by many employers, in their roles of health plan sponsors. (Employers are not technically “covered entities” under HIPAA privacy but, in effect, must comply if they’re involved in plan administration.) The rule came out in proposed form on May 31. It would […]
It seems the voice of the retirement plan community has been heard — the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is proposing extending the applicability dates of two controversial fee disclosure regulations. “Extending these dates will more closely align the application of the two rules and ensure that parties have sufficient time to comply with the […]
Financial security in retirement is one of our nation’s cornerstone principles when it comes to the way we have come to envision quality of life from cradle to grave. With this in mind, Social Security has long been considered the safety net for most Americans in retirement. In recent years, however, the perception of Social […]
Like so many other employers, The Bolles School grappled with how to cut expenses when the recession hit. The organization looked for ways to operate more efficiently and, in fact, cut many expenses. But it made a conscious decision not to reduce or cut certain coveted employee benefits, including 100% employer-paid medical insurance premiums, 100% […]
As rising healthcare costs eat away at an organization’s bottom line, benefits managers look to: (1) reduce the cost of employee benefits, and (2) drive healthy outcomes by influencing member behavior. Communications can play a vital role in reaching these goals. Communicating benefits is not merely sharing facts and figures, though. Instead, you should approach […]
One of Friedman, LLP’s best recruiting tools is a policy giving employees Fridays off during the summertime, according to Michael Gaines, Human Resources partner for the New York-based accounting, tax, and consulting services firm. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, all 325 staff members in Friedman’s (www.friedmanllp.com) four offices in New York City, New Jersey, […]
A fun, simple, and flexible way to get information out to your employees and families, Twitter™ can be a powerful addition to your benefits communication this year. But, understanding how this at-first perplexing platform can be used for benefits communication may not be obvious. Look a little closer, and Twitter is a great way to […]
With so much discussion surrounding health care of late, it’s important to know what current options are available to ensure that you as an employer are selecting the best coverage for your business and its employees. With more and more frequency, employers are leaning toward a Consumer-Driven Healthcare Plan (CDHP)—a plan in which employee/consumer behavior […]