News

It seems that working hard can, in fact, kill you. A new study shows a strong correlation between long working hours and two major health problems: Cardiovascular disease and strokes. The study, conducted by Mika Kivimaki, a professor of epidemiology at University College London, tracked 600,000 adults in the United States, Europe and Australia over a period […]

There’s more data available that suggests that, unless the so-called Cadillac tax is repealed, flexible spending accounts may be targeted for extinction. A survey of hospital management personnel found many will do away with the flexible spending account plan option if the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act tax on “rich” plans is not repealed or substantially […]

If you’re budgeting 3 percent raises for the majority of your workforce, you’re in good company, because 3 percent is the new pay raise standard. That’s what an annual compensation survey by Towers Watson reported. Those who make the annual salary decisions are planning to hand out 3 percent raises to most employees next year — […]

The 6055 and 6056 tax filing has many employers and their advisers up in arms for the upcoming tax filing. The increased penalty amounts announced in July are alarming. A single 1095-C form violation could result in a penalty of $500 per form, with no cap if the employer shows intentional disregard — basically skipping […]

Health insurers around the nation are responding rapidly to the potentially cost-increasing elements of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. One response: narrow networks, in which plan members have fewer choices of physicians if they want the benefits of remaining in their network. Now, the University of Pennsylvania has taken a close look at the […]

Proposed rate increases for 2016 health insurance coverage that a dozen carriers will sell on Covered California’s state-run exchange will be just 4% compared to the 4.2% rise approved for 2015. The recently announced statewide weighted average was hailed as a dramatic departure from annual double-digit rate increases in the state’s individual health insurance market […]

“Um, yeah, I’m gonna need you to go ahead and come in on Saturday to work on those TPS reports…” Bill Lumbergh, the infuriatingly low-key taskmaster in the movie “Office Space” is actually one of the more benign manifestations of the Boss from Hell. But whether it’s a hot-headed screamer, a back-stabbing manipulator, or the […]

What’s in it for me? This may be the most common question employers ask their human resources professionals about voluntary benefits, and it also may be the first question HR people ask their broker. Brokers should have a ready answer. “There are many advantages to including voluntary benefits in an employer’s portfolio of benefits offered to […]

Proponents of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act can say the law is controlling health insurance costs all they want. But it seems employers do not agree. Nearly all employers — nine in 10 — say they’re facing increases in the premiums they pay for employee health plans, with nearly 25 percent of employers seeing […]

In the wake of the health care reform, alternative funding solutions for health benefits continue to gain traction among small to mid-size groups. Pending changes to small group rules in January 2016 are driving demand for the funding solutions. Most prominently, groups with 50-100 employees will be subject to community rating legislation that governs how […]