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The Internal Revenue Service, Department of Labor and Department of Health and Human Services have each issued frequently asked questions stating that employer payment plans (sometimes referred to as premium reimbursement plans) for individual health insurance coverage fail to comply with the Affordable Care Act. Employers that violate this rule are subject to an excise […]

(Bloomberg View) — Two years in, there’s a lot we still don’t know about Obamacare. How many people will it end up insuring? What will the premiums look like? How much will the program cost? Some of these questions won’t be answered satisfactorily for a while, if ever. Even the most basic data point, on […]

On April 16, 2015, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued a long-awaited proposed regulation with respect to employer-sponsored wellness programs and the Americans with Disabilities Act. While not yet final, the proposed regulation provides important guidance on the extent to which employers may use incentives to encourage employees to participate in wellness programs that include […]

Commentary: The benefits of good dental hygiene are obvious to most people: whiter smiles, better breath and greater self confidence. Unfortunately, nearly half of Americans don’t have dental insurance, preventing them from getting the dental care they need.1 But did you realize that poor dental care among your employees may be hurting their overall health […]

Benefits exist because they appeal to employees in a different way than do hard dollars. But how rich should a benefits menu be at a company that’s determined to hang on to top performers and build a team by making great hires? And are the companies that offer solid plans communicating the value properly? The […]

As technology and health care become more intertwined, a visit to the doctor can be as easy as a touch of an app. UnitedHealthcare Thursday announced an expansion of telehealth coverage options for virtual physician visits, giving enrollees in self-funded employer health plans secure, online access to a physician via mobile phone, tablet or computer, […]

It’s well-known that small businesses suffer from a crushing burden of employment-related, safety-related, and environmental-related rules and regulations from various government agencies. It is also understood that small businesses are expected to meet certain relevant requirements from their large private business customers, such as certain product quality standards, pricing guidelines, delivery schedules, etc. However, there […]

Commentary: The Affordable Care Act is bringing new administrative complexity to employers offering health plans to their employees. It includes new requirements for employee tracking and government filing, and represents a significant increase in employer liability. These changes will phase in gradually, with different timetables for different size employers, and full implementation required across the […]

More than three-fourths of U.S. millennial workers who quit their job do so because of minimal wage growth, according to a new study by Ernst & Young in New York City. Nearly 9,700 full-time workers in eight nations participated in the online survey. “Knowing that millennials and parents are under increasing pressure, we wanted to […]

Does working for a small company mean receiving small benefits? Apparently so, according to the 2014 U.S. Worker Survey, conducted last December on behalf of Colonial Life and Unum. Only 44 percent of employees at very small businesses (fewer than 10 employees) have benefits at work, compared with 82 percent of all employees. Companies that […]