Benefits Think

For our clients with a January 1 benefit plan renewal date, we have begun the work required to determine the appropriate program strategy, negotiate renewals, create communication pieces and organize logistics for the open enrollment meetings and subsequent employee enrollments. My company provides advisory services to both clients whom offer medical coverage through fully insured providers as well as those large enough to self-insure their medical plan with the services of a third party administrator.…

In his final posting before Editor-in-Chief Kelley Butler's return next week, guest blogger Ed Bray offers three additional open enrollment lessons he's learned over the course of his 14 years in the employee benefits business.

With many companies gearing up for the busy open enrollment season, guest blogger Ed Bray reminds them of three action items that can be easily overlooked during the open enrollment process.

Guest blogger Karrie Andes is a natural-born skeptic when it comes to savings numbers presented by carriers, vendors and consultants. In his new book, Why Nobody Believes the Numbers: Distinguishing Fact from Fiction in Population Health Management, Al Lewis gives Karrie even more reason to raise an eyebrow.

An anthropology professor breastfed her sick baby in front of her undergraduate class recently, causing a minor stir on campus. The assistant professor at American University, Adrienne Pine, made the difficult decision during the first week of classes to bring her infant daughter to work after child care plans fell through. As an HR manager and peer, how would you respond if a similar situation occurred in your workplace?

Yes, you read that correctly. Friendly. And even helpful, says guest blogger Karrie Andes, who shares how the DOL and Employee Benefits Security Administration have helped her through everything from a health plan audit to appeals to disease management.

I had the great opportunity to attend, and speak at, the recent Employee Benefit Adviser Summit in Phoenix. For those of you who may not be familiar with this event, you really are missing out on a great opportunity. Not only do they bring together the agency/brokerage/consulting side of the industry, there is also a conference track for HR professionals.

Guest blogger Karrie Andes shares her personal journey of becoming an adoptive parent and how it's helped her promote her company's adoption assistance benefits.

Over the course of his career, guest blogger Ed Bray has noted three important legal areas where employers sometimes struggle with compliance. With the help of attorney Marilyn Monahan, he outlines these requirements and what needs to happen for employers to stay compliant.

It often seems to me that many brokers are on auto-pilot these days. The dynamic of many firms is to acquire a client, review their benefits, offer alternatives, collect their commission, and offer some predictable services. I don’t believe this cookie-cutter modus operandi will be a successful approach in our ever-changing world of unknowns. My company, Selden Beattie, has never conducted its business on auto-pilot and remains successful as a result. That’s the magic of…