Life and Health Insurance Advisor – Summer 2019
The Likelihood of Medicare for All
After passing the Affordable Care Act in 2010 and watching Republicans begin to dismantle it in 2017, many Democrats now are proposing Medicare for All.
Read on for details.
How to be a Caregiver Without Taking a Major Financial Hit
Caregivers can be life savers by taking care of people who cannot care for themselves. However, caregivers must also take care of themselves – particularly their finances.
Read on for details.
The Importance of Life Insurance at Any Age
Have you ever wondered what the perfect age is for purchasing life insurance? Here’s a hint – right now! Here’s why:
Read on for details.
When Euthanasia and Life Insurance Intersect
If a terminally ill person decides on euthanasia, will their life insurance deny their beneficiaries the life insurance money?
Read on for details.
Employee Benefits Report – April 2019
How Employer-Sponsored Dental Insurance Supports Employees’ Overall Health
Employer-sponsored dental insurance can play an integral part in your employees’ health.
Read on for details.
Unlimited Vacation – Good Idea? or Too Many Headaches?
Who wouldn’t want unlimited vacation time? Here are a few advantages, as well as pitfalls.
Read on for details.
Advantages and Disadvantages of the Emerging Telehealth Trend
Telehealth/telemedicine is being touted as a great innovation — the ability to talk to a provider anytime of the day from home for little or no cost. There are advantages and disadvantages.
Read on for details.
The Advantages of a 457 Retirement Plan
You and your employees might qualify for 457 retirement plans if you work for a state or local government or for certain tax-exempt organizations such as a charities, hospitals or unions.
Read on for details.
Employee Benefits Report – March 2019
Millennials — Changing the Health Care Landscape
Studies show that millennials are not interested in having a primary care doctor. They are looking to the Internet, urgent care and employers to help with their health care needs.
Read on for details.
Hospital Prices Now Must be Published Online — But is it a Game Changer?
Want to know how much a procedure is going to cost you at a particular hospital or medical facility? Look no further than the Internet.
Read on for details.
Retirement Plan Options for Former Employees
When employees leave a job, they often have to decide what to do with their 401(k) retirement account. Encourage them to investigate their options based on their financial situation and long-term goals. The decision they make could affect their retirement funds size.
Read on for details.
How to Determine Whether Your Voluntary Plans Fall Under Safe Harbor
Don’t assume you’re in compliance with the Voluntary Plans Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) safe harbor rules just because you don’t contribute to the cost of your employees’ voluntary benefits.
Read on for details.
Life and Health Insurance Advisor – Spring 2019
9 Proactive Techniques to Improve Your Workers’ Comp Program and Save Money
Your agent is an excellent resource for ensuring you’re ready when an accident happens — and it doesn’t cost more than necessary.
Read on for details.
What Is Integrated Disability?
With companies like MetLife and Travelers working together to create programs such as their trademarked Synchrony, the concept of integrated disability is gaining wider acceptance, though there are still hurdles.
Read on for details.
Workplace Injuries — What Are the Odds?
Odds are workplace injuries won’t happen — yet they do. The odds can be lowered considerably by taking control of the work environment and ensuring employees perform the job the right way.
Read on for details.
Meet Your Insurance Professional: Claims Examiner
Workers’ compensation insurers and some self-insured employers have employees who examine claims after they are submitted for payment.
Read on for details.
Employee Benefits Report – January 2019
How to Maximize 401(k) Limits and Savings Strategies
Your employees will be able to save more money in their 401(k) retirement accounts this year. The big question, though, is should they save the annual maximum?
Read on for details.
When it Pays for an Employer to be a Life Insurance Beneficiary
Would your business take a financial hit if a key employee passed away? It’s a concern for many employers.
Read on for details.
What to Expect From the ACA in 2019
The only thing certain about the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is change. And with a new year comes new compliance deadlines and proposed new rules and regulations. The Trump Administration has signaled its intent to propose legislation to again alter the ACA.
Read on for details.
New AHP Resources Now Available
Employers interested in forming Association Health Plans (AHP) to purchase health care benefits for their employees have a resource to help with federal regulations and guidelines.
Read on for details.
Employee Benefits Report – December 2018
A Simple Way for Small Employers to Assist Employees with Buying Health Insurance
Are you having difficulty finding a good, affordable health care benefit plan for your small business? If so, have you considered using a QSEHRA as an alternative?
Read on for details.
What You Need to Know About the Growing Popularity of Home-Based Care
The need for home health care aids is expected to increase more than 1.3 million by 2020.
Read on for details.
Does Sick Pay do What it’s Supposed to do? The Case For and Against
Studies show sick pay can reduce the spread of disease in the workplace, but also increase absenteeism.
Read on for details.
What’s In and Out with Benefit Programs
When you offer benefits to your employees, you want to provide the type of benefits that will attract and keep valued employees. However, benefits that once were popular can become less desirable.
Read on for details.
Life and Health Insurance Advisor – November 2018
Keeping Up with Medicare Changes
Here’s what you need to know for 2019.
Read on for details.
Individual ACA Rates are Going Up, Up, Up — Here’s Why
Some areas could see rate increases up to 98 percent
Read on for details.
Q&A: How to Add an Indexed Universal Life Policy to Your Retirement Portfolio
How life Insurance can be an important part of your retirement plan.
Read on for details.
The Surprising Penalties of Genetic Testing
Personal DNA testing kits are all the rage.
Read on for details.
Employee Benefits Report – October 2018
New Rule Increases Small Groups Insurance Buying Power
If you own a small company, you know the frustration of not having the same buying power as large groups when purchasing health benefit coverage.
Read on for details.
The New Frontier of Student Loan Repayment Benefits
Student loan debt is soaring. The Federal Reserve reports that more than 44 million people owe $1.5 trillion in student loans. Loan amounts average $37,172, although some go as high as $100,000 or more.
Read on for details.
ERISA Q&A: What You Need to Know
If you currently offer, or are planning to offer your employees retirement benefits, make sure you’re familiar with ERISA rules and regulations.
Read on for details.
Getting the Most Out of an HSA
Employers are increasingly relying on high-deductible health benefit plans to reduce premium costs.
Read on for details.
Employee Benefits Report – September 2018
Navigating DOL 401(k) Audit Red Flags
Think there’s no way your retirement plan might be audited? Think again.
Read on for details.
Enforcement of the Employer Shared Responsibility Provisions Now in Full Force
<
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) now is enforcing the Affordable Care Act’s Employer Shared Responsibility provisions (ESRP) for health care benefits for 2015 and 2016. The IRS also has announced the affordability percentage for tax year 2019.
Read on for details.
The Nonprofit Dilemma — How to Provide Good Health Care Benefits
Health care benefits are a good way to attract and keep top talent. Here’s what you can and cannot do when offering benefits.
Read on for details.
Wave of the Future: Value-Based Care
The practice of insurers paying fee for services to physicians and hospitals is going the way of the dinosaurs. Look for value-based care to replace the current payment model.
Read on for details.
Life & Health Insurance Advisor – Fall 2018
Getting Ahead of the Curve: Planning Now for Social Security Deficiencies
If you’re like most people, Social Security will provide 40 percent of your income during retirement. Unfortunately, without changes, the federal government may not have enough money in 16 years to fully fund the program.
Read on for details.
The State of Medicare: 2018 and 2026
Medicare, like the federal government’s Social Security program, is on track to eventually run out of funds to pay the entire amount of claims made.
Read on for details.
Insurance That Goes Beyond Health Benefit Coverage
Health Insurance will not always protect you from financial devastation if you suffer from a critical illness.
Read on for details.
Too Much Blue Light? Filtering Lenses May be the Answer
Do you spend a lot of time working on a computer or looking at your smartphone? If so, are your eyes bothering you? Are you having difficulty sleeping?
Read on for details.
Employee Benefits Report – July 2018
Is Your Company’s Retirement Plan Safe from Hacking?
Many employees rely heavily on the money they put into their employer-sponsored 401(k) account to pay for their retirement. The last thing they want is for the money to be stolen by cyber thieves.
Read on for details.
Answering Your Employee’s Questions About Enrolling in Medicare
Working past age 65 is no longer uncommon. According to the U.S. Jobs report, almost 19 percent of people 65 or older worked at least part-time in the second quarter of 2017.
Read on for details.
What You Need to Know About Group Life Insurance
Employer sponsored life insurance is the way most Americans receive coverage. There are important decisions to make when offering coverage to employees.
Read on for details.
HSAs — Good for More Than Just Paying Medical Expenses
Your employees can enjoy the benefit of paying their long-term-care insurance premiums tax free — if you offer a Health Savings Account (HSA).
Read on for details.
Employee Benefits Report – June 2018
Could Paid Family Medical Leave Be in Your Company’s Future?
Although the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) requires some employers to provide unpaid leave to workers for family or medical reasons, several states now mandate employers to provide paid leave.
Read on for details.
ACA Compliance Issues for 2018
Even though the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is in its eighth year, many employers are not especially confident they know how to stay in compliance with the controversial health care reform law.
Read on for details.
What’s The Best Health Care Account for Your Employees?
Help your employees achieve more control over their health care decisions and expenses by providing them with a savings account for medical expenses.
Read on for details.
New Disability Insurance Regulations Designed to Provide Safeguards for Policy Holders
New regulations will affect employers and plan administrators who offer short-term and long-term disability plans.
Read on for details.
