The overwhelming majority of individuals who enrolled in plans offered through public health insurance exchanges during the 2015 open season have paid their premiums and still have active coverage, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday.
As of March 31, 10.2 million of the 11.7 million Americans who opted for coverage, or just over 87%, paid premiums for their first month of coverage or still have time to pay the premium under exchange grace periods. Continue reading
Because of the implications of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, voluntary benefits are getting plenty of attention as employers examine how they can adjust their offerings. But they’re also starting to realize that benefits packages, including voluntary benefits, could help with retaining and recruiting employees in addition to softening the blows that could accompany health care reform Continue reading
While the Great Recession seems like a thing of the past, small business owners are still recovering. And while optimism is growing, owners say top small business challenges for 2015 are financial security, recruiting quality employees, offering the benefits employees want, and creating a competitive edge. Continue reading
The DOL Audit can be completely random. Many employers are out of compliance with ERISA and don’t even know it. The DOL has substantially increased its auditing efforts. In fact, the DOL announced last year that their goal is to audit all businesses in the U.S. within the next 3-4 years. Continue reading
Small business owners are constantly analyzing and evaluating their budgets and bottom lines. Sometimes you have to cut back on certain things here and there. Other times, you add something to the budget in an attempt at a long term return. It may be tempting to opt out of providing health benefits, but there’s long term value in offering them. This article outlines the ways adding health benefits can actually create more value to your small business. Continue reading
Affording employee health benefits is a common human resources challenge for small and growing businesses. On one hand, we value the role health benefits play in compensation, recruiting, and retention. On the other hand, the cost is prohibitive even for the most profitable businesses. Continue reading
The Obama administration on Monday put health insurance companies on notice that they must cover all forms of female contraception, including the patch and intrauterine devices, without imposing co-payments or other charges. Continue reading
By: Eric Hartley (Las Vegas Review Journal) May 2015
After spending months in limbo, … Continue reading
