By Peter Freska Benefits Advisor at The LBL Group A UBA Partner Firm Employee Benefit News published an article titled, “Employers procrastinating on ACA recordkeeping compliance.” It is an interesting read, as it refers to a recent survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers in which “Only 10% of some 480 employers in 36 industries responding to a recent […]
By Danielle Capilla Chief Compliance Officer at United Benefit Advisors PPACA created a private non-profit corporation called the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). The Institute’s job is to research the comparative effectiveness of different types of treatment for certain diseases, and to share its findings with the public and the medical community. The goal is […]
By Jon Allo www.articlesfactory.com If you want to get fit and get into shape, but the cost of a gym membership is too expensive, there are effective cardio exercises to do at home. Cardio fitness exercises is considered one of the most important elements in any fitness program because it helps to increase energy, improve […]
By Robin J. Anderson Senior Economist, Principal Global Investors Global economic trends have a profound impact on human resource management with effects on everything from talent management, hiring, outsourcing, investment strategies, wages, asset management and business development. As globalization continues to shrink the world, human resource departments are transforming themselves into strategic business partners with […]
By Bill Olson, Chief Marketing Officer at United Benefit Advisors As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and that’s definitely the case when it comes to a health plan audit by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). And prevention is certainly warranted, according to Jeff Hadden, Partner at […]
By: Danielle Capilla Chief Compliance Officer at United Benefit Advisors On May 11, 2015, the Department of Labor (DOL) along with other federal agencies issued an FAQ regarding the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) that focused on coverage of preventive services. Non-grandfathered group health plans and health insurance offered in […]
By Danielle Capilla Chief Compliance Officer at United Benefit Advisors Question: How is PPACA’s “IRS Form W-2 safe harbor” regarding affordability calculated? Answer: Under PPACA, coverage is considered affordable if it costs less than 9.5 percent of an employee’s household income. Because employers are often unaware of an employee’s household income, there are three safe […]
By Michael Humphrey, MLHR, Sr. Employee Benefits Advisor at The Wilson Agency A UBA Partner Firm In last week’s blog, we explained the different types of stop-loss insurance. This week we will go over another important aspect of stop-loss: contract periods. Stop-loss contract periods are perhaps the most complicated aspect of understanding how stop-loss insurance […]
www.thinkhr.com Question: Is an employee assistance program (EAP) a COBRA-eligible benefit? Answer: Employee assistance programs (EAPs) that offer medical benefits such as direct counseling and treatment, rather than just referrals for counseling and treatment, are regulated under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and therefore subject to reporting and notice requirements under the act. […]
By Elizabeth Kay Compliance & Retention Analyst AEIS Advisors A UBA Partner Firm Self-funding is a very hot topic these days for a number of reasons. For small group employers offering a self-funded plan this means they can charge a composite premium rate based on the employee population versus the community rates that are based […]