Industry News

Many Employers Are Not Ready for Open Enrollment

A significant number of employers are not on the right pace to gear up for open enrollment. As of July, many had not yet planned or designed employee communications, reviewed compliance and eligibilit...

Will Raising HSA Limits Prompt Higher Contributions?

The House of Representatives passed a bill that would raise the annual limit on HSA contributions to match out-of-pocket deductibles for HDHPs. HR 6311 would nearly double annual contribution limits f...

Commissioner Jones urges DOJ to block CVS/Aetna Merger

California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones is urging the Department of Justice (DOJ) to sue to block the proposed merger of CVS and Aetna. Jones said it would have significant anti-competitive effec...

Group Coverage Rises in California While Individual Coverage Falls

In 2017, group coverage rose while individual coverage declined in California, according to a report by the California Healthcare Foundation. Strong employment growth contributed to rising enrollment ...

Employers Ramp Up Benefits in Tight Labor Market

Employers are using benefits to recruit and retain talent in a tight labor market. A survey by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) finds that more employers are reviewing their benefit pa...

IRS Continues Assessing Employer Mandate Penalties

The IRS continues to send out 226J Letters to collect penalties under the §4980H Employer Mandate. Letters are being sent to applicable large employers who appear to owe a penalty based on self-report...

Bulletproof Benefits Start with a Group Needs Assessment

Creating a benefit needs assessment for your groups can help you design effective strategies today and into the future. You’ll uncover gaps in their benefit strategy and identify areas of concern. The...

Where Brokers Stand With Technology

Benefit brokers who’ve implemented successful technology solutions report increased revenue, improved client retention, and an expanded client base, according to a report by Maestro Health. The study ...

Secrets to a Killer Sales Presentation

Nailing your sales presentation can make a huge difference to your sales-conversion rate. It all starts by thinking of your presentation as a conversation — not a sales pitch. Here are some secrets to...

DOL Issues New Rules for Association Health Plans

The Department of Labor (DOL) has released final Association Health Plan (AHP) rules. The rules are designed to make it easier for small employers and individuals to join together to offer, or purchas...

Employers Increase Cost Sharing While Expanding Benefit Offerings

Cost sharing is now a fact of life for most employees with the exponential growth of health care costs. Eighty-three percent of employers now share health care costs with their employees, according to...