Benefits Think

The Internal Revenue Service recently released a notice outlining 2010 minimums and maximums for health savings accounts plans and high-deductible health plans.

If the recession drags on, it will be a red-hot summer for the PBGC -- emphasis on "red."

When an employee leaves, I know you must have your offboarding procedures: take their security card, give them a COBRA application, perhaps conduct an exit interview. But somewhere in those procedures, I beg of you to remind them to take their 401(k)s with them.

As more employers switch to CDHPs and HSAs to fight the good fight against health care costs, they have greater reassurance that the plans will be well-received by employees, as two new surveys show HSA participants have few regrets about switching to the plans.

Us EBNers don't believe in duplicating efforts, so rather than rehash the new Republican-led health care proposal here, I'll just link you to the writeup from Benefits Explained, the blog from EBN sister title Employee Benefit Adviser.

Some employers have taken the bold step in recent years to mandate employees to participate in health risk assessments to obtain group health insurance. However, a new informal letter from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says that such a requirement is one bold step forward but two legal steps...

The Supreme Court ruled yesterday that women who took maternity leave before the enactment of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 don´t have a legal claim in requiring employers to apply that leave on pension accruals.

In a report for BenefitNews.com, Associate Editor Lydell Bridgeford writes about a study from Rutgers University that finds 46% of highly educated and affluent workers report that their employer offers a wellness program, while only 25% of employees with a high school education or less say the same.

Hey pros, there's only a couple weeks left to nominate yourself, a colleague or a client for the 2009 Benny Awards, presented by EBN and sponsor VSP. Click here for a full description of the award categories and information on the nomination process. Nominations close June 5.

In a special extended episode of EBN's podcast series "Five Minutes With ...", our eight featured columnists draw on their unique expertise to answer, "What is the most important challenge currently facing benefits professionals and how can they best meet that challenge?"