This article was published on January 31, 2019 on Employee Benefit News, written by Steve Kelly. Today more than ever before, benefits and human resources professionals are struggling to provide their teams with quality coverage at affordable rates. Costs have skyrocketed for the more than 150 million Americans who receive healthcare coverage through their workplace [...]
Done right, self-funding provides the flexibility needed to control costs. A 2018 Kaiser Employer Survey showed that the cost of employer-based, family coverage rose to $19,616, an increase of 5 percent from the prior year. While this increase may be considered moderate or acceptable by many employers, we work hard to help our self-funded clients [...]
The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Trust Fund fee is a fee on issuers of health insurance policies and plan sponsors of self-insured health plans that helps to fund the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), which was established by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The institute assists, through research, patients, clinicians, purchasers and policy-makers, in making informed [...]
A little skin in the game can make a big difference. At our recent “Let’s Take Control” themed Solutions Day, Adam Russo of the Phia Group shared his story that earned front page coverage in the Boston Globe. He told the audience about a tactic Diversified Group has helped many employer groups implement over the [...]
This article was published on November 6, 2018 on Employee Benefit News, written by Kathryn Mayer. HSA: A savings account without the saving? By and large, employees who are enrolled in a health savings account are using them as spending accounts rather than as tax-free long-term savings accounts, according to new research from Willis Towers [...]
The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Trust Fund fee is a fee on issuers of health insurance policies and plan sponsors of self-insured health plans that helps to fund the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), which was established by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The institute assists, through research, patients, clinicians, purchasers and policy-makers, in making health decisions by [...]
The Health Insurance Responsibility Disclosure (HIRD) form is a new state reporting requirement in Massachusetts beginning in 2018. This form differs from the original HIRD form that was passed into law in 2006 and repealed in 2014. The 2018 form is administered by MassHealth and the Department of Revenue (DOR) through the MassTaxConnect (MTC) web [...]
This article was published on September 27, 2018 on Employee Benefit News, written by Nelson Griswold. More than six years ago, Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini proclaimed that “the end of insurance companies, the way we’ve run the business in the past, is here.” At the very least, it’s the beginning of the end for these [...]
This article was published on September 10, 2018 on BenefitsPro, written by Darick Bradford. Why are more small businesses offering self-funded health benefit plans? I see three big reasons. Source: BenefitsPro “Wait, what’s a self-funded plan again? And why does it make sense for my clients?” These are questions I hear from brokers [...]
This article was published on August 7, 2018 on Employee Benefit News, written by Corte Larossi. We all know that making changes to your health plan can have major consequences for your company. It can impact your medical costs and company bottom line, the health and welfare of your employees, employee satisfaction and performance, as [...]
