Benefit plan design

EBP audits are designed to catch problems that administrators might not be aware of, yet audits themselves can lead to penalties, disqualifications or impacts on participants’ tax returns if they don’t adequately identify issues that should be addressed.

Commentary: As a broker offering these benefits to your employer groups, it is important to become proficient in voluntary benefits or choose to outsource this expertise.

As another insurer megamerger takes place, how will employer health plans fare with a shrinking field of providers?

Commentary: Brokers are strategically positioned to encourage employers to commit to a more productive workforce.

Understanding these ACA compliance requirements and the tools necessary to track the required data can be confusing and overwhelming.

Commentary: Many of the world’s leading employers offer expert second opinions as a valued employee benefit that can save money by averting unnecessary testing and treatment, decrease absenteeism, and promote employee retention.

Employers offering high deductible plans – particularly those who have gone the full replacement route – still need to beef up their educational efforts.

Increasingly, employers are expanding wellness programs to include financial guidance. But do these programs go far enough?

Commentary: Personal care in times of great distress not only delivers more effective care, but it also does it more efficiently, says Sam Fleet.

As the Supreme Court’s recent ruling in favor of gay marriage in Obergefell v. Hodges changed the landscape of employee benefits across the country, the question of how the court’s decision would affect domestic partner coverage moved center stage.

When mistakes are made on benefit plan audits, plan administrators can experience significant hardships, including rejections of Form 5500 filings, which can result in fines of up to $1,000 per day.

Commentary: Hispanics comprise almost 17% of today’s U.S. population. This demographic represents the most significant population trend in Americans under 65 in the next 20 years. This isn't just a population trend, your sales depend on recognizing the cultural shift happening underneath your feet.

Millions are covered under employee stock ownership plans, which take a considerable amount of research and planning before implementation.

As employers search for ways to trim health care costs, advisers are increasingly exploring the use of data to steer plan design.

Zenefits has filed a motion to dismiss an anti-defamation lawsuit filed against it by payroll services giant ADP, continuing a heated row between the two companies that Zenefits says comes down to a a fight for “consumer choice.”

Commentary: Waiting for the results of the 2016 presidential election before doing any Cadillac tax planning is not a good benefits strategy.

Commentary: Columnist Nelson Griswold discusses why sophisticated employee benefit advisers are increasingly discussing self-funding of the health plan with mid-size employers.

Consolidation in the health insurance industry holds both positives and negatives for employer-sponsored health plans, but employers shouldn’t expect to see any major savings resulting from the Aetna-Humana merger until at least 2017, say industry experts.

Friday’s landmark ruling on gay marriage poses both challenges and benefits to employers.

High deductible health plan sponsors, as well as employers considering making that switch, should review their employees’ health care purchasing patterns and their communication campaigns to encourage appropriate use of the plans.