Year: 2023
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Why Health Insurance is Important
Protection from high medical costs Health insurance provides important financial protection in case you have a serious accident or sickness. People without health coverage are exposed to these costs. This can sometimes lead people without coverage into deep debt or even into bankruptcy. It’s easy to underestimate how much medical care can cost: Fixing a…
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Compliance Recap November 2023
NEW ACA FAQS RELEASED The Affordable Care Act (ACA) Implementation FAQ Part 63, issued by the U.S. Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Treasury focuses on the Public Health Service Act, which mandates that non-grandfathered group health plans and health insurance issuers provide culturally and linguistically appropriate summaries of benefits and coverage (SBC)…
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What Businesses Need to Know about the U.S. Executive Order on AI
Recently, U.S. President Joe Biden issued an executive order designed to install guardrails on generative artificial intelligence (AI), and there are many implications for businesses. Human Resources must be mindful about these new regulations as they apply to the workforce. The comprehensive order provides guidance on the development and use of a technology that has been unregulated…
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Ho, Ho, Ho-ld Off on the Bad Habits This Holiday Season
‘Tis the season for family, festivity, and food—lots of food. The holidays dish up a triple whammy of wintry weather, irresistible foods, and stress, which can cause even the strongest-willed person to reach for another festive goodie. While the notion of enjoying “healthy holidays” has a nice ring to it, reaching that goal can be…
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Using a Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
If you have a health plan through a job, you can use a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) to pay for health care costs, like deductibles, copayments, coinsurance, and some drugs. They can lower your taxes. How Flexible Spending Accounts work A Flexible Spending Account (FSA, also called a “flexible spending arrangement”) is a special account…
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The Attitude of Gratitude
You may have heard the saying attitude of gratitude. It’s a great little rhyme to remind us to live a life of gratitude – and practice it! When we practice being thankful on a regular basis, it not only impacts our mental and physical health, but those around you as well. The Definition of Gratitude…
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Benefits 101: What Is Accident Insurance?
Accidents happen. Whether you fall off a ladder, slip and break an arm, or get injured just living everyday life, an accident can happen. Anytime. Anywhere. What Is Accident Insurance? Accident insurance helps provide support when life’s most unexpected moments happen. It makes an accident less painful financially because it helps to pay the bills…
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Compliance Recap October 2023
ADJUSTED CIVIL PENALTIES The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has recently announced adjustments to civil penalties related to violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and the Medicare Secondary Payer (MSP) rules. These penalty adjustments take into account inflation and are applicable to violations…
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Revealed – Survey Responses about Employee Wellness and Benefits
The connection between employee wellness and the benefits of the job might seem obvious. But the conversation should be more nuanced than merely a discussion about health insurance, access to mental healthcare like employee assistance programs (EAPs), and well-being apps to reach zen. Indeed, Human Resources professionals must reconsider their definition of benefits. It must extend to all the pros…
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Benefits 101: Premiums, Deductibles, Copays, and Out-of-Pocket Maximums
Not understanding benefits terminology is near the top of the list of ways that open enrollment and benefits selection can stress you out. Open enrollment is coming quickly and soon you will be talking about benefit options. The world of benefits and insurance can be confusing. In-network, out-of-network, deductibles, co-pays and co-insurance? What? Let us…
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Want to Increase Productivity? Support Working Parents
As the flu and RSV season gets underway, companies are asking themselves how they can support employees who need to stay home to care for their children. In fact, last October, 104,000 Americans missed work because of “childcare problems” – the highest total since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking the figure in 2003. …
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Think Intelligent About Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence, including so-called “large language models” like ChatGPT, has rapidly become a major talking point in the press, amongst governments, and maybe even in your office! While AI has been a subject in the background for decades, everyday web users can now engage with AI like never before. But whenever there is a sea…
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CMS Releases 2024 Projected Medicare Part D Premium and Bid Information
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today announced that the average total monthly premium for Medicare Part D coverage is projected to be approximately $55.50 in 2024. This expected amount is a decrease of 1.8% from $56.49 in 2023. Stable premiums for Medicare prescription drug coverage in 2024 are supported by improvements to the Part…
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Benefits 101: What Is Open Enrollment?
For millions of Americans, the end of the year is open enrollment season – a yearly opportunity to take stock of your health care needs and select the health insurance plan that works best for you. It is a window of time – typically in the fall – when you can sign up for health…
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Compliance Recap August 2023
IRS DECREASES 2024 ACA AFFORDABILITY TO 8.39% The IRS has announced a reduction in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) affordability percentage for plan years starting in 2024, lowering it from 9.12% in 2023 to 8.39%. This affordability percentage determines the maximum portion of an employee’s household income that can be spent on self-only coverage while still complying…
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The Return of Student Loans: Ease Your Employee’s Anxiety
In the U.S., the outstanding balance is $1.75 trillion in student loan debt. Approximately 55% of students from public four-year universities have student loans, with a balance of $37,338 owed per borrower. Beginning in October, workers nationwide will need to resume payments on their student loans for the first time since March 2020. The pandemic-related…
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8 Unique Benefits Employers Are Offering to Attract Talent in Asia-Pacific
If the so-called Great Resignation taught us anything, it’s that employees are looking for more than just a salary when it comes to their jobs. Employee benefits have a crucial part in enhancing engagement, attracting new employees, and retaining top talent. Employee benefits refer to any form of compensation that employees receive in addition to their base…
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Wellness: Help Employees Form Good Habits
Many in Human Resources talk about talent management in abstract terms but much of it has to do with helping people with habit formation. Indeed, HR can teach people to develop patterns of behavior that will contribute to the success of the individual and the organization. They can work with individuals and teams to ensure these…
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Compliance Recap July 2023
PROPOSED CHANGES TO SHORT-TERM, LIMITED-DURATION INSURANCE On July 7, 2023, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Labor (DOL), and the Department of the Treasury proposed changes to modify the definition of short-term, limited-duration insurance (STLDI) and the conditions for fixed indemnity insurance to be considered an excepted benefit. The…
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Why Health Insurance Matters
Health insurance may not be the most exciting thing to shop for but it’s one of the most important things that you can buy for yourself and for your family. Having health insurance has many benefits. It protects you and your family from financial loss in the same way that home or car insurance does. …
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Employee Disengagement – Loud Quitting Has Arrived
Gallup recently sounded the alarm on the employee engagement crisis. A survey revealed that nearly 60% of 120,000 of the world’s workers are quiet quitting or not engaging, and 18% are actively disengaged, which Gallup labeled as loud quitting. This is a surprise to the public, but Human Resources professionals saw this coming. In the State of HR survey,…
