LSA

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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2024 Trends in Healthcare and Benefits

2024 is underway, and high costs, persistent inflation, and an election year have some people feeling uneasy about health and wellness this year. What 2024 healthcare and benefits trends should TPAs watch, and how can they help employers meet changing needs and demands? 2024 Healthcare Trends Business Group on Health’s 2024 Large Employer Health Care Strategy Survey shares six healthcare topics trending for 2024: 2024 Benefits Trends Now, let’s look at the benefits that are trending for

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Help Participants Use Benefits with These 5 Tools

During open enrollment, many participants are enrolling in plans for the first time. “Firsts” are often overwhelming, and once the benefit year begins, participants may need help knowing how or where to begin. As employees expect more and employers become increasingly cost-conscious, it’s harder to provide a mutually satisfactory benefits package. To make utilization as easy as possible, TPAs and employers can offer resources to help participants understand, access, and utilize their benefits. Five of

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Newer Benefits Options for 2024

Employer benefits have changed over the centuries to meet employees’ changing needs. While group healthcare is still standard, there are newer benefits that TPAs can offer in 2024 that may better serve the needs of both employers and employees. Health Reimbursement Arrangements Group Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs) have been around for some time. The IRS first acknowledged them in 2002 to reimburse qualified healthcare costs. HRAs now include three additional types covering qualified insurance premiums and related

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Help Employees with High Food Prices

You don’t need us to tell you that food prices are high. Some attribute the cause to energy costs and labor shortages, but other factors are also at play. For instance, the avian bird flu epidemic has raised chicken and egg prices. Extreme heat and reduced cattle herds have led to higher butter prices. Margarine also costs more due to the effects of the war in Ukraine on vegetable oil exports. And severe weather has consumers struggling to find certain fruits,

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Whitepaper: Updating Your Benefits Program for a Remote or Hybrid/Onsite Workforce

Benefits can determine a company’s success or failure in competing for and holding on to engaged, productive workers. Whereas employers once boasted about their health and retirement benefits, those now serve as simply the foundation for a more complex benefits program needed for remote and hybrid/onsite workers. If we learned anything from the Great Resignation of 2021-2022, it’s that employees need and are demanding more support from employers in terms of their physical, mental, emotional, and

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5 Ways to Control Rising Benefit Costs

Healthcare costs in America have risen significantly since the 1970s, leading many employers to expect modest yearly cost increases in the benefits they offer. However, the combination of current economic conditions, increased costs related to managing chronic conditions, and an aging population are leading to less manageable increases for many employers. Here are five ways TPAs can help employers continue offering high-value benefits while working to control rising benefits costs. #1 Ask Participants What They Need

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Four Generations, One Workforce: Creating a Benefits Program for All

Americans live and work longer, leading to a four-generation workforce in different life stages and with differing needs. Creating a benefits package that satisfies their varied needs can prove challenging. Diverse Needs In its latest Workplace Wellness Survey, the Employee Benefits Research Institute (EBRI) examined financial stressors as well as overall financial, emotional, and physical well-being. Financial Well-Being Financial well-being is of moderate to high concern for 28% of younger workers, 37% of middle-aged workers, and

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Benefit Accounts Address Economic Challenges

A recent article in Employee Benefits News outlined the three economic challenges to American workers: inflation, market volatility, and rising interest rates. Employers can use benefit accounts to help employees address these concerns. Challenge #1: Inflation The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 7.7% overall between October 2021 and October 2022. Increases occurred year over year (YOY) in every category the CPI measures, including fuel oil (68.5%), natural gas (20.0%), gasoline (17.5%), transportation services (15.2%), and

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Whitepaper: Getting Creative in a Post-Pandemic Enrollment Season

Always an intense and stressful time for brokers, TPAs, and employers alike, enrollment season for the 2023 plan year promises to be even more so. As COVID-19 gradually transitions from pandemic to endemic, its impact on Americans cannot be denied. By mid-2022, more than 90 million had contracted COVID-19, with over a million confirmed deaths. How can we successfully address the past two years’ influence on our workplaces and workforce? It will take more than

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