By Bill Olson, Chief Marketing Officer at United Benefit Advisors More and more employers—especially mid to large size groups—are considering different types of self-insured financing mechanisms. UBA Partners are at the forefront of helping employers understand their options, and as a group of independent advisors bound by a code of conduct to actively cultivate, validate […]
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 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 […]
By Danielle Capilla, Chief Compliance Officer at United Benefit Advisors Federal agencies recently released a Proposed Rule to amend regulations and provide guidance on implementing Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as it relates to employer wellness programs. Title I of the ADA applies to employers with 15 or more employees, prohibits […]
By Danielle Capilla Chief Compliance Officer at United Benefit Advisors Health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs), health savings accounts (HSAs) and health care flexible spending accounts (HFSAs) are generally referred to as account-based plans. That is because each participant has their own account, at least for bookkeeping purposes. Under the tax rules, amounts may be contributed to […]
By Bill Olson Chief Marketing Officer at United Benefit Advisors While recent survey data shows that, on average, employers are decreasing the amount they’re willing to contribute to employee Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), there are some industries that have not seen such trends. On average, employees saw a 10 percent decrease in their average single […]
By Danielle Capilla, Chief Compliance Officer at United Benefit Advisors On March 4, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in King v. Burwell, a case that centers on the meaning of statutory language in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). At question in the case is whether or not the Internal […]
By Linda Rowings, Chief Compliance Officer at United Benefit Advisors Recently, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Department of Health and Human Services issued a Final Rule with standards for insurers and Marketplaces in 2016, covering topics such as transparency in health insurance rate increases, formulary drug lists, drug mail order opt […]
By Bill Olson, Chief Marketing Officer at United Benefit Advisors Our recent blog reviewed the highlights of the new employer and insurer reporting requirements. UBA has created this quick reference chart to help you sort out who should use which form, and when: For comprehensive information on coverage requirements, due dates, special circumstances, controlled groups […]