Eyes on Benefits
As we strive to keep our clients abreast of trends influencing the employee benefits market, this bi-weekly executive summary (emailed every other Friday) offers news and information affecting you and your employees. Eyes on Benefits is emailed free of cost. If you would like to receive one or more of our newsletters via email, please contact us.
August 12, 2010 Dependent Age Extension Increases Focus on Eligibility Audits
July 29, 2010 New Rules on EHR Meaningful Use Take First Step in Addressing Cost Issues
July 16, 2010 Grandfathered Plan Guidelines Could Force Employers into Difficult Decisions
July 1, 2010 Limited Networks: The Next Step in Saving Healthcare Dollars?
June 17, 2010 Healthier Lifestyles Still Key to Lowering Healthcare Costs
June 4, 2010 The Massachusetts Experiment: A Preview of Federal Healthcare Reform?
May 21, 2010 Will Reform Force Employers to Drop Their Healthcare Plans?
May 6, 2010 Will Current Reform Really Address Healthcare Overuse?
April 22, 2010 Onsite Clinics Becoming Popular with Employers
April 8, 2010 Educating Employees on Medical Identity Fraud
March 29, 2010 The Healthcare Reform Discussion from an Employer Perspective
March 12, 2010 Using Inclusive Benefits to Reach Your Entire Workforce
February 25, 2010 NC Healthcare Benefit Trends for 2010
February 11, 2010 Preparing Employees for Critical Illness Remains a Priority
January 28, 2010 Can E-Medical Records Help Reduce Healthcare Costs?
January 14, 2010 The Debate on Importing Prescription Drugs
December 31, 2009 It Might Be Time for Your COBRA Check-Up
December 18, 2009 Is the Recession Helping or Hurting the Medical Tourism Industry?
December 4, 2009 Employers Bringing Dependents into Wellness Programs
November 20, 2009 Are Dental Benefits Getting Lost in the Healthcare Reform Shuffle?
November 6, 2009 North Carolina Proposed "Obesity Tax" Drawing Attention
October 23, 2009 Using Target Date Funds? Better Check under the Hood!
October 9, 2009 Are You Prepared for the New Form 5500 Electronic Filing Requirements?
September 25, 2009 As COBRA Enrollment Increases, Employers Brace for Subsidy Impact
September 11, 2009 Industry Focuses on H1N1 Workplace Preparedness as Flu Season Nears
August 28, 2009 Employers Gaining Leverage for Aggressive Wellness Initiatives
August 14, 2009 Should Your Company Provide Key Person Life Insurance?
July 31, 2009 Federal Paid Sick Leave Bill Could Become an Important Issue
July 17, 2009 Employers Resisting Cutbacks on Benefits
July 2, 2009 What Happens if Congress Taxes Employee Benefits?
June 19, 2009 Are Employer Benefit Plans Facing Increased Scrutiny?
June 5, 2009 More Employers Looking at Guaranteed Income for 401(k)s
May 22, 2009 Effectively Communicating Benefit Value to Keep Unions at Bay
May 8, 2009 Book Review: Ensuring Fairness in Health Care Coverage
April 24, 2009 Analyzing the Cost of Universal Care
April 9, 2009 Is Comparative Effectiveness Research a Panacea for the US Healthcare System?
March 27, 2009 Incentives Play Key Role in Wellness Participation
March 13, 2009 Maintaining Your Retirement Plan in a Volatile Economy
February 27, 2009 Making Sense of the Stimulus Healthcare Provisions
February 13, 2009 Telemedicine Offers Real-Time Care on Demand
January 30, 2009 Medicaid Reductions Could Have Expanded Effect on Healthcare
January 16, 2009 Employer Communication Critical During Economy Crisis
January 2, 2009 Do Your Employees Understand the Consequences of Cashing Out Their 401(k)s?
December 19, 2008 Would Australia’s Superannuation Model Work for the U.S. Retirement System?
December 5, 2008 Healthcare Transparency at Your Fingertips
November 21, 2008 Medical Tourism Continues to Grow in Popularity Despite Concerns
November 7, 2008 Employer Creativity a Significant Key in Controlling Healthcare Costs
October 24, 2008 Should You Offer Identity Theft Protection as an Employee Benefit?
October 10, 2008 What You Need to Know About 401(k) Plan Fees
September 26, 2008 Federal Incentive Program Pushes Adoption of Electronic Prescribing
September 12, 2008 New Obesity Disincentives Raise Questions
August 29, 2008 Consortium Takes New Approach to Combat Healthcare Fraud
August 15, 2008 Over Half of Healthcare Spending Identified as Waste
August 1, 2008 Long Term Care Benefits Can Help in Recruiting Key Employees
July 18, 2008 Paid Family Leave: A Growing National Trend?
July 3, 2008 Electronic Personal Health Records: Convenience or Privacy Risk?
June 20, 2008 Physician Concierge Services Raising Eyebrows
June 6, 2008 Are Your Employees Getting Screened for Oral Cancer?
May 23, 2008 Automatic Enrollment May Offer Relief for Plan Sponsors
May 9, 2008 Is Lack of Health Literacy Helping to Increase Healthcare Costs?
April 25, 2008 Book Review: Who Killed Healthcare?
April 11, 2008 More Hospitals Require Patients to Pay Upfront
March 28, 2008 Healthcare: A Leading Issue for Election 2008
March 14, 2008 Are Your Employees Checking Their Retirement Plan Allocations?
February 29, 2008 Health Plan Eligibility Audits May Save Money -- and Your Company from Disaster
February 15, 2008 Will Online Physician Visits Help Reduce Healthcare Costs?
February 1, 2008 New Portability Requirements to Impact North Carolina Group Term Life Insurance
January 18, 2008 States Mandate Disclosure of Claims Data to Aid Employers; More to Follow?
January 4, 2008 New 403(b) Regulations May Raise Compliance Concerns Among Plan Sponsors
December 21, 2007 New Pharmacy Benefit Plan Design Aims at Preventative Treatment
December 7, 2007 Are Your Employees Using Their FSAs?
November 21, 2007 Growth of Retail Clinics Spur Regulatory Conversations
November 9, 2007 The Current Health of Medicare
October 26, 2007 Minimizing the Impact of Smokers on Your Healthcare Costs
October 12, 2007 How Business Succession Planning Can Prepare Your Company for the Worst
September 28, 2007 Can Value-Based Purchasing Lead to Better Cost Transparency?
September 14, 2007 Using Standard-Based Incentives for Wellness Program Participation
August 31, 2007 Legislation Could Offer Tax Credits for Wellness Programs
August 17, 2007 Fighting Obesity in the Workplace
August 3, 2007 Financial Planning for Key Employees Makes Sense
July 20, 2007 The Current State of HIPAA Compliance
July 6 , 2007 Are Healthcare Cost Trends Decelerating?
June 22, 2007 Paid Time Off or Sick Leave: Which is Better for Your Business?
June 8, 2007 Should Employers Reduce Dental Benefits to Help Cut Costs?
May 25, 2007 Retirement Plan Design: How You Updated Yours Lately?
May 11, 2007 Mental Health and the Workplace
April 27, 2007 Medical Technology and the Impact on Healthcare Costs
April 13, 2007 Employee Retention: The Primary Benefits Objective?
March 30, 2007 How to Prepare for the Pandemic Flu
March 16, 2007 Are You and Your Employees Saving Enough to Retire?
March 2, 2007 Building a Benefit Strategy
February 16, 2007 Can Supporting the Four Cornerstones of Value-Driven Healthcare Help to Lower Costs?
February 2, 2007 Wellness in the Workplace is Working
January 19, 2007 Breaking Down Universal Healthcare Concepts
January 5, 2007 457 Plans: Employee Deferred Compensation for Government and Tax-Exempt Organizations
December 22, 2006 Wal-Mart's $4 Generics Program Helping to Lower Premiums
December 8, 2006 Medical Tourism Taking Flight?
November 22, 2006 New Study Reveals Actual HSA Usage
November 10, 2006 Agreement to Allow Drug Importation from Canada Could Signal Comprehensive Drug Change
October 27, 2006 What the Pension Protection Act of 2006 Means to You
October 13, 2006 Early Detection of Breast Cancer Saves Money and Lives
September 29, 2006 Employee Satisfaction: What Matters Most?
September 15, 2006 New Legislation Alters Small Group Rating Calculations
September 1, 2006 Understanding the Importance of Benefit Plan Communications
August 18, 2006 Should Employers Offer Financial Planning and Advice as an Employee Benefit?
August 4, 2006 Are You Offering COBRA Coverage to Your Retirees?
July 21, 2006 Before You Add or Drop that Retiree Health Plan, You Better Read This...
July 7, 2006 So You Want to Start a Wellness Program...
June 23, 2006 Is Your Plan ERISA Compliant?
June 9, 2006 Specialty Pharmaceutical Spending on the Rise
May 26, 2006 Never Too Early to Start Preparing for Next Year's Flu Season
May 12, 2006 What You Should Know About Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation
April 28, 2006 Health Coaching: The Key to Effective Disease Management
April 13, 2006 How Should You Handle a “Flex Credits” Health Plan When an Employee Takes a Leave of Absence?
March 31, 2006 Are We Ready to Ration Our Healthcare?
March 17, 2006 401(k) or 403(b): Which Retirement Plan is Right for Your Organization?
March 3, 2006 Should You Allow Benefits for Domestic Partners to be Deducted Pre-Tax? (Attachment: domestic partnership) (Attachment: tax status)
February 17, 2006 Weighing the Impact of the Wal-Mart Tax
February 3, 2006 Proposed Changes to Increase HSA Appeal
January 20, 2006 Roth 401(k) is Finally Here!
January 6, 2006 Impacting the Bottom Line through Better Employee Health
December 22, 2005 Healthcare Mandates Offer Added Benefit, Added Cost
December 9, 2005 What Employers Should Know About the Identity Theft Protection Act (Attachment: SB 1048)
November 25, 2005 Online Tool Can Help You Budget for Healthcare Expenses
November 11, 2005 How to Stay Ahead of the Flu when Vaccinations are No Option (Attachment: Flu Vaccination Vendors)
October 28, 2005 Is Your Health Plan Compliant with the Newborns’ Act? (Attachment: NC statute) (Attachment: sample language)
October 14, 2005 Is Safe Harbor 401(k) Right for Your Company? (Attachment: Safe Harbor 401k)
September 30, 2005 Doctor, What is the Cost of this MRI that I am about to Receive?
September 16, 2005 How Can Employee Assistance Programs Help Your Business
September 2, 2005 Poor COBRA Notification Procedures can be Costly to Employers
August 19, 2005 Retirement Plan Fees: Do You Know What You’re Paying?
August 5, 2005 What You Should Know about Electronic Delivery of ERISA-Required Disclosures
July 22, 2005 Would a Bona Fide Wellness Program Work for Your Business?
July 8, 2005 Key Person Life Insurance: Should Your Company Buy It?
June 24, 2005 IRS Announces New “Grace Period” for FSAs
June 10, 2005 New HIPAA Security Rule Governs Electronic PHI
May 27, 2005 Is a Roth 401(k) Right for You?
May 13, 2005 Can Work “Work” for Employers & Employees?
