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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Life and Health Insurance Advisor – November 2018
Keeping Up with Medicare Changes
Here’s what you need to know for 2019.
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Individual ACA Rates are Going Up, Up, Up — Here’s Why
Some areas could see rate increases up to 98 percent
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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.
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The Surprising Penalties of Genetic Testing
Personal DNA testing kits are all the rage.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Getting the Most Out of an HSA
Employers are increasingly relying on high-deductible health benefit plans to reduce premium costs.
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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.
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Enforcement of the Employer Shared Responsibility Provisions Now in Full Force
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Insurance That Goes Beyond Health Benefit Coverage
Health Insurance will not always protect you from financial devastation if you suffer from a critical illness.
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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).
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Life & Health Insurance Advisor – Summer 2018
Life Insurance for any Age — Especially During Retirement
There are many reasons why life insurance can make sense in retirement.
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Annuity Sales to Pick-Up in 2018
Rule changes in 2017 caused a decline in annuity sales. Still, annuities remain popular with investors for a number of reasons.
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Insurance Terminology 101 — What You Don’t Know Could Cost You
Health insurance protects you from financial ruin should you have a serious health issue and makes it more likely you’ll seek treatment when you’re ill.
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Convert a Roth IRA Once? Yes. Twice? No.
With the passage of the tax reform bill late last year, you can no longer undo Roth IRA conversions.
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Employee Benefits Report – April 2018
Don’t Let a Flu Epidemic Take Your Business Down
A particularly virulent influenza strain, H3N2, was responsible for a record number of illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths this winter.
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Tuition Assistance for a Better Future
Tuition assistance not only benefits your employees, it helps your company.
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Making a 401(k) Plan a Reality for Your Employees
A 401(k) retirement plan is one of the most desirable and valuable benefits you can provide your employees. Having an employee retirement plan shows you care about their future and helps employees create a nest egg for a comfortable retirement.
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A Partnership with an Eye To Better Health Care
Three successful American companies decided to see if the status quo of rising health care costs and decreasing patient satisfaction can be improved.
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Employee Benefits Report – March 2018
Stepping into Lower Drug Costs
Step therapy can save money but some say there can be a downside.
One way to keep your health benefit plan’s overall costs lower is to encourage employees to choose generic drugs whenever possible. The U. S. healthcare system saved $1.68 trillion from 2005 to 2014 by using generic drugs, according to the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics.
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Ten Reasons to Motivate Employees to Use Their Employee Health Benefit Portal
It’s not enough to give your employees the right health plan if they don’t understand it. An online employee portal or self-service site can help — if employees are motivated to use it.
Kicking it Up a Notch — Retirement Contribution Limits Increased
That’s just one of the many changes to retirement plans for 2018.
This year employees can contribute $500 more to their federally legislated retirement funds. The federal government raised contribution limits to $18,500 for 401(k), 403(b), most 457 plans, and the Thrift Savings Plan. The adjustment was made to keep up with the cost of living. Participants age 50 or older, by the end of 2018, may make additional catch-up contributions of $6,000, meaning older savers may defer up to $24,500 into their retirement plan.
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Ways to Proactively Combat Mental Health Issues in the Workplace
Do you have employees who are depressed, anxious or addicted to alcohol or drugs? If so, do you know what to do?
