‘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 • Read More »
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Using a Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
November 29, 2023 | By Cleveland Benefits PartnersIf 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 • Read More »
The Attitude of Gratitude
November 20, 2023 | By Cleveland Benefits PartnersYou 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 • Read More »
Benefits 101: What Is Accident Insurance?
November 14, 2023 | By Cleveland Benefits PartnersAccidents 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 • Read More »
Compliance Recap October 2023
November 8, 2023 | By Cleveland Benefits PartnersADJUSTED 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 • Read More »
Revealed – Survey Responses about Employee Wellness and Benefits
November 2, 2023 | By Cleveland Benefits PartnersThe 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 • Read More »
Benefits 101: Premiums, Deductibles, Copays, and Out-of-Pocket Maximums
October 25, 2023 | By Cleveland Benefits PartnersNot 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 • Read More »
Want to Increase Productivity? Support Working Parents
October 17, 2023 | By Cleveland Benefits PartnersAs 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. • Read More »
Think Intelligent About Artificial Intelligence
October 9, 2023 | By Cleveland Benefits PartnersArtificial 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 • Read More »
CMS Releases 2024 Projected Medicare Part D Premium and Bid Information
October 4, 2023 | By Cleveland Benefits PartnersThe 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 • Read More »
Benefits 101: What Is Open Enrollment?
September 25, 2023 | By Cleveland Benefits PartnersFor 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 • Read More »
Compliance Recap August 2023
September 19, 2023 | By Cleveland Benefits PartnersIRS 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 • Read More »
The Return of Student Loans: Ease Your Employee’s Anxiety
September 12, 2023 | By Cleveland Benefits PartnersIn 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 • Read More »
8 Unique Benefits Employers Are Offering to Attract Talent in Asia-Pacific
September 7, 2023 | By Cleveland Benefits PartnersIf 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 • Read More »
Wellness: Help Employees Form Good Habits
August 31, 2023 | By Cleveland Benefits PartnersMany 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 • Read More »
Compliance Recap July 2023
August 24, 2023 | By Cleveland Benefits PartnersPROPOSED 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 • Read More »
Why Health Insurance Matters
August 15, 2023 | By Cleveland Benefits PartnersHealth 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. • Read More »
Employee Disengagement – Loud Quitting Has Arrived
August 7, 2023 | By Cleveland Benefits PartnersGallup 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, • Read More »
Trending Topics: Fertility Benefits
August 1, 2023 | By Cleveland Benefits PartnersDid you know that in 2017 the American Medical Association and the World Health Organization recognized infertility as a disease? Approximately 17.5% – roughly one in six couples– are affected by infertility in the U.S. As societal norms and employee expectations continue to evolve, companies are recognizing the importance of offering comprehensive benefits packages that • Read More »
Compliance Recap -June 2023
July 27, 2023 | By Cleveland Benefits PartnersPCORI FEE DUE DATE APPROACHES Employers offering self-funded medical plans, including health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) must report and pay fees to the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) by July 31. If the plan was fully insured, employers can rely on their insurance carriers to handle the fee payment. The current annual fees are: For plan years • Read More »
Financial Safety Nets – Don’t Let Your Employees Slip Through the Cracks!
July 18, 2023 | By Cleveland Benefits PartnersIn the wake of the Great Depression and WWII, employers started to add benefits packages. Healthcare had fallen by the wayside for families working to access the basic necessities of life. The idea was to support the employee’s personal needs while keeping and attracting the best talents in the workforce. This trend of offering benefits • Read More »