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Small Businesses and Viable Employee Benefits

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, 99.9% of American businesses are considered small in terms of employment, with fewer than 500 workers on the payroll. While all companies struggle at times with hiring, retaining, and engaging talent, the challenge for small businesses can be greater due to having a comparatively leaner benefits program. However, as more creative benefits enter the marketplace, small businesses may find more viable employee benefit options. Small Businesses Employment Challenges Recent

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Infographic: Negative Impacts of a Multi-Platform Approach

Using a multi-platform approach to CDH and COBRA benefits administration can create a host of problems for third party benefits administrators. The following infographic highlights the negative impacts of a multi-platform approach and examines the benefits of a single solution.

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Healthcare Transparency and New Developments

Consumers often undertake significant research and price comparisons when buying an expensive item. Yet, when it comes to healthcare, comparison shopping has historically been nonexistent, partly due to a lack of cost transparency. Some providers treated requests for written estimates as a nuisance. Others could not provide an accurate estimate due to coordination issues with insurance companies and other key players in the industry. Healthcare Transparency Importance Transparency can provide benefits to everyone, including higher

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Non-Discrimination Testing

Offering employee health benefits is a great way to attract and retain talent, but companies must follow strict regulations to ensure fairness to all employees. The IRS monitors highly compensated employees’ eligibility and compares that to benefits available to lower compensation employees. All health plans must undergo annual non-discrimination testing. Learn more below. What is Non-Discrimination Testing? IRS rules state that self-insured health plans cannot discriminate in favor of Highly Compensated Employees (HCEs) concerning eligibility or benefits.

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Missed open enrollment? What’s next?

It never fails. Following the close of open enrollment, some participants start to think they should have elected more or less coverage. Sill others who ignored enrollment altogether may wish they had chosen something. The good news is that whether you need more or missed open enrollment, all may still have some options! Health Plans Active enrollees in an existing health plan may find that it was automatically renewed. Even if the plan is no

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Women’s Heart Health

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is the leading cause of death for American women – but despite the launch of numerous awareness initiatives, barely half understand the risks. Let’s look at what heart disease is and what we (especially women) can do about it. Heart Disease Basics “Heart disease” includes a variety of conditions that affect the heart structure and how it functions. Coronary artery disease, the most common, occurs

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Who Owns a Benefit Account?

Third-party administrators enable employers to offer benefits that help them attract and retain their valuable talent. However, employers do not own all benefit funds, nor do employees. These are essential questions when enrolling in benefits and spending down funds. So, let’s discuss who owns benefit accounts and ensure everyone fully understands the benefit account portability. What is portability? Benefits portability refers to the ownership of benefit account funds. If a particular type of benefits account

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What Is BPO?

Companies use business process outsourcing (BPO) when they hire external vendors to complete tasks requiring additional expertise, personnel, or both. In their Global Outsourcing Survey 2022, Deloitte defines three types of these services: Across the business spectrum, tasks can range from simple (e.g., generating mailings) to complex (e.g., cybersecurity). So what is BPO, and how can it help TPAs? Evolution of BPO Modern outsourcing began in the 1980s with customer support call centers. However, BPO has

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Rebrand Benefits for Increased Utilization

Employers battle high healthcare costs by finding ways to reduce expenses and by achieving significant returns on the investments they ultimately make. With benefits being such an important factor in employee retention, return on investment is often the most critical. One method of increasing utilization and realizing a greater return on the employer investment in certain types of benefits is to rebrand them. Rebranding Targets Four commonly underutilized benefits that can be boosted by rebranding

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How Much Should I Contribute to My HSA?

If you own or have recently opened a Health Savings Account (HSA), you may wonder, “How much should I contribute to my HSA?” HSAs are a unique tax-advantaged tool for consumers to pay for qualified healthcare expenses and save for retirement. Understanding how funding works with this account is critical to answering the contribution question. HSA Funding Options After enrolling in a qualified High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP), you may open a Health Savings Account

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