Benefit management

Commentary: Benefit adequacy is a recently-coined catch phrase among the retirement industry, and with good reason. Many individuals have not saved enough to pay for the costs of health in retirement, let alone broader retirement income needs.

Voluntary benefits are creeping more and more into the everyday dialogue of benefit managers and advisers, but for those just getting involved, partnering with voluntary carriers and other vendors can sometimes be a difficult field to navigate.

It appears that slackers, not hackers, are mostly responsible for the invasion of health care records - and the overly curious (or bored) employees who are the culprits can cost employers millions in HIPPA fines.

Commentary: Too often wellness programs are started as just another way to reduce heath care costs. Certainly, this is a terrific outcome that good wellness programs will help deliver. However, this focus not only sells the wellness program short, but it also misses the “soul” of the program.

For the first time, the Supreme Court has ruled that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act covers corporations. But, employers will still have to review the possible application of any state laws that might require contraception coverage despite the holding in Hobby Lobby.

Despite an improving economy, American employers continue to be cautious with pay increases for employees.

Data analytics offers companies a better way to recruit employees and identify those who are most likely to stay. But are employers embracing it?

At SHRM's annual conference, leaders from Disney and Western Union address creating a better company culture through better recruiting, and how to boost employee learning and development through technology.

Even as employers of all sizes report increased success in their participants’ savings rates, having sufficient savings and income in retirement remains a top concern for many employees.

A recent appellate court ruling may affect the ability of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to challenge "inflexible" employer leave policies, policies that result in the termination of employees who are unable to return to work after the fixed leave period.

Online enrollment for the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) on the federal exchanges will be operational later this year, according to a spokeswoman at the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

In a harsh rebuke of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s method of attempting to prove that Kaplan Higher Education Corp.’s consideration of credit history for hiring in select positions was discriminatory, the Sixth Circuit issued a decision upholding the federal district court’s order excluding the EEOC’s expert opinion from evidence and dismissing the EEOC’s case.

Benefits administration technology will never replace human interactions, such as the one-on-one new hire orientation, or open enrollment meetings, but the right kind of platform can be an effective tool to reinforce benefits messaging, help employees make smarter decisions, and communicate the overall value of your benefit programs.

It would appear cash is king once again as a long-term incentive of choice for U.S. companies, yet equity-based incentives such as stock options are still an attractive retention tool, according to research.

As health care costs these costs gain increasing focus from benefits managers to the C-suite (not to mention Wall St. to Capitol Hill), ROI questions remain at the forefront. The issue is particularly sharp around wellness plans.

Making sure payroll and benefits enrollment are up to par was not a concern back in 1922 when Diamond Parking Service was first established in Seattle, Wash. Diamond Parking turned to well-known industry source known for its ability to automate data processing.

Northwestern University football players were given the right to form college sports’ first labor union in a ruling that could seismically change the $16 billion business of top-level university athletics.

As consumer-directed health plans proliferate in response to market forces, their success will be contingent upon a workforce that is comfortable with using health savings accounts to pay and save for qualified medical expenses.

Wellness champion networks can help customize wellness communication and programs to smaller worksites.

Form 8822-B is approaching its March 1 deadline and many employee benefit plan and trust sponsors and administrators are not aware if this date applies to them. Find out more about this confusing topic from national business and corporate law firm Porter Wright.