On Jan. 5, the Department of Labor (DOL) announced that, effective April 1, employee benefit plans must comply with new requirements for disability benefit claims. Section 503 of ERISA requires every employee benefit plan to: Provide adequate notice in writing to any participant or … [Read more...] about New Rules for Disability Claims Taking Effect
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Unique Way’s Todays Benefit Brokers Are Helping Businesses
By trade, insurance brokers work with business owners to shop, negotiate and implement employee benefit plans. However, over the last five years, there has been a dramatic change in our landscape – from health care reform, products and strategies to technology. Today, there are many ways benefit … [Read more...] about Unique Way’s Todays Benefit Brokers Are Helping Businesses
Taking the Mystery Out of Medicare
If you’re nearing retirement age, or are over 65 and still working, you may have questions about Medicare. Read on for some important information you may need to know. What Is Medicare? Medicare is health insurance for people who are age 65 or older, under 65 with certain disabilities or any … [Read more...] about Taking the Mystery Out of Medicare
Telemedicine: An Employee Benefit Trend
Telemedicine is becoming one of the most popular employee benefits for many reasons. While many major medical plans offer “nurses on call,” telemedicine is very different. Telemedicine uses today’s cutting edge technology to facilitate care between a physician and a patient to evaluate, diagnose … [Read more...] about Telemedicine: An Employee Benefit Trend
IRS Change May Affect the Individual Mandate for Health Insurance
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has signaled a change in how it monitors compliance with the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) individual mandate. Under this change, tax returns will no longer be automatically rejected if they do not certify whether the individual had health insurance for the … [Read more...] about IRS Change May Affect the Individual Mandate for Health Insurance
New Year Brings New Employee Benefit Options For Small Businesses
On Dec. 13, the 21st Century Cures Act was signed into law. The act allows small employers that do not maintain group health plans to establish stand-alone health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs), effective for plan years beginning on or after Jan. 1, 2017. This new type of HRA is called a … [Read more...] about New Year Brings New Employee Benefit Options For Small Businesses
Understanding the Pros and Cons of Technology-Based Benefit Enrollment
The annual open enrollment period is a daunting time for both employers and employees; it is a lot of work for companies and can be a confusing process for workers. For instance, if you have 20 employees and offer five benefit plans with several documents correlated to each plan, you will be sifting … [Read more...] about Understanding the Pros and Cons of Technology-Based Benefit Enrollment