Employer Strategies

The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has announced training and registration dates, along with requirements, for benefit advisers and brokers who want to enroll small business employers on the federally facilitated SHOP exchange.

Given that hospital charges currently represent about a third of the $2.7 trillion annual U.S. health care bill, employers may want to consider offering hospital indemnity insurance as a voluntary benefit. When an employer is reviewing these plans, there are several important features to look for.

Benefit advisers are poised to close the gap between employers’ need to control health costs and comply with the health law and employees’ lack of interest in taking ownership of their health care choices.

Despite its attempts to create a diverse workforce, even a superstar of the high-tech world admits its shortcomings. The overall makeup of Google’s workforce is still 70% male and 61% white, according to facts the company released Wednesday.

Benefit insiders predict a steep decline in small business group health insurance sales in the coming years, which could prove harmful for many independent brokers and agents.

Benefit advisers can advise their clients on a recent court case that confirms ERISA penalties will ensue for plan administrators that fail to provide plan documents when requested by a plan participant or plan sponsor.

The IRS this month clarified for benefit advisers and their clients that employers cannot escape ACA penalties and taxes via pre-tax premium reimbursement plans.

Benefit broker compensation problems, an existing health law and a tough exchange board have forced advisers in this state to take a backseat to the implementation of Obamacare.

The challenges faced by plan sponsors as they design, update and execute their 403(b) plan documents are sometimes left undiscovered until they are identified under audit.

Workers who travel out of their state or country of hire to perform work on behalf of their employers create liability exposures, due to complex laws, administrative rules and regulations that deal with workplace injuries and diseases across the U.S. and abroad.