Skip to main content

SEARCH

Showing 651 results found

The Employer Healthcare Market Appears to Be Stable – but for How Long?

… The concern is over a resurgence or a second wave, but this does not appear to be materializing. Viewpoints from Craig Hasday And the cost of care to employees and employers also seems to be relatively stable as compared to 2019. The just-released Kaiser Family Foundation 2020 Employer Health Benefits Survey indicates a 4% increase in medical insurance costs from last year, with family coverage at $21,342 and employees paying 26% of this total. The average employee contribution for single coverage was 17% in 2020 and 27% for families. This compares to wages which increased by 3.4 …

https://www.epicbrokers.com/insights/the-employer-healthcare-market-appears-to-be-stable-but-for-how-long/

Remote Employee Resources

25 Strategies & Resources to Delight and Engage Remote Employees Resources Geared Toward Working Parents: Parental Support Group and Forum Back-Up Childcare Services: In home, virtual and onsite options are available Caregiver Background Checks Parenting Toolkits: Workshops, Classes, and Resources to help parents navigate this year | We love Positive Parenting’s Solution’s Ultimate Survival Guide to an Unpredictable School Year Dependent Care FSA Perks for Employees’ Children, such as monthly fun learning kits tailored to specific ages, donated laptops for online learning, and online camps and classes Resources That Appeal to All Employees: Technology and Office Furniture Stipend Employee …

https://www.epicbrokers.com/insights/remote-employee-resources/

EPIC Adds Robert Johnson

The addition of Robert Johnson further strengthens National Employer Consulting Practice EPIC Insurance Brokers and Consultants, a retail property and casualty insurance brokerage and employee benefits consultant, announced today that Robert Johnson has joined as principal. Johnson’s primary focus will be new client acquisition and helping teams build client relationships through non-medical growth strategies. Johnson brings over 30 years of sales and leadership experience to this role. Prior to joining EPIC, he served as Customer Unit Vice President for MetLife’s South Customer Unit in Dallas. In this role, he was responsible for sales, revenue, persistency, and overall …

https://www.epicbrokers.com/insights/epic-adds-robert-johnson/

Plant and Harvest Your Wellness Budget Tree

Viewpoints from Claire Letourneau and Briana Loff I’m always thrilled when I can strategize with some kind of wellness budget. But however meager or robust the funding, employees will still be able to receive wellness programming or services. An internal budget makes me the most optimistic; it demonstrates that senior leadership finds enough value in taking care of employee wellbeing to allocate resources toward their success. Yet many Human Resources professionals find themselves searching for alternative options – either free wellness programming or a magic tree on which wellness funding grows. Your magic tree may be in your medical carrier …

https://www.epicbrokers.com/insights/plant-and-harvest-your-wellness-budget-tree/

Special Compliance Alert: IRS Extends ACA Reporting Due Date

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has released Notice 2020-76 (Notice) which extends the due date for furnishing to individuals the 2020 Form 1095-B (generally provided by insurers), and the 2020 Form 1095-C, Employer-Provided Health Insurance Offer and Coverage, from January 31, 2021, to March 2, 2021. The Notice also extends good faith transition relief from penalties relating to 2020 Affordable Care Act (ACA) information reporting requirements under Internal Revenue Code (IRC) sections 6055 and 6056. Finally, the Notice provides new relief relating to the failure to furnish information required by IRC section 6055 under certain circumstances …

https://www.epicbrokers.com/insights/compliance-alert-irs-extends-aca-reporting-due-date/

Checklist of Key 2021 Requirements for Health & Welfare Benefit Plan Sponsors

Complying with the many rules that govern health and welfare benefits can be a challenge for benefits administrators. EPIC has prepared this compliance checklist to help administrators manage their 2021 benefits compliance efforts. Please note that this checklist may not cover every requirement applicable to a specific employee benefit plan. This list focuses on key federal requirements affecting most health and welfare plans and is subject to legislative or regulatory changes. Additional requirements or exceptions may apply under state insurance laws which vary from state to state. Administrators should also remember that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) remains in effect …

https://www.epicbrokers.com/insights/compliance-alert-checklist-of-key-2021-requirements-for-health-welfare-benefit-plan-sponsors/

Is Anybody Listening?!? Use Analytics to Determine Communication Success

Viewpoints from Bob Simpson A few years back, I was speaking with one of my clients in the construction industry. The company was making some disruptive (but positive) plan changes. She was worried that any type of change would be viewed with suspicion. She wanted to get the right message out to her employees but had always felt uncertain about workers on job sites, where printed and mailed communications wouldn’t be as effective. Fortunately, we’d just built a mobile-enabled website for her – complete with analytics – including information on geographic interactions. Our campaign drove people to the site …

https://www.epicbrokers.com/insights/is-anybody-listening-use-analytics-to-determine-communication-success/

Justice Ginsburg’s Death Makes Healthcare Cloudier Than Before

Viewpoints from Craig Hasday The passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg throws a giant monkey wrench into the healthcare battle and is yet another unexpected plot twist in 2020. California v. Texas (known as Texas v. U.S. in the lower courts) will be heard by the Supreme Court on November 10 – the week after the presidential election – and it may well be that this case ends up at a 4-4 tie with Justice Ginsburg’s seat vacant. A tie would mean California v. Texas gets sent back to the lower courts and the decision would stand, yet it …

https://www.epicbrokers.com/insights/justice-ginsburgs-death-makes-healthcare-cloudier-than-before/