Kathy Bergstrom, CEBS, Author at Word on Benefits

Voluntary Benefits Becoming Mandatory to Attract and Retain

Kathy Bergstrom, CEBS

11 Oct 201711 Oct 2017

Pet insurance, vision insurance, identity theft insurance. A growing number of employers are offering these and other types of voluntary benefits as they look for ways to recruit and retain employees and improve worker well-being. Leigh Stepan, CEBS, principal of Leigh Stepan […]

Communication Employee Benefits Health Care

Take the Surprise Out of Emergency Medical Bills

Kathy Bergstrom, CEBS

15 Sep 2017

When an emergency medical situation occurs, whether it’s a playground mishap, a car accident or a life-threatening health care crisis, the first priority for patients and their loved ones is getting care and getting it quickly. They may not think about whether the […]

Employee Benefits Paid Time Off (PTO) Vacation

Unlimited Paid Time Off—Who Benefits?

Kathy Bergstrom, CEBS

14 Jul 201718 Jul 2019

It’s summer vacation season. Employees who may spend the rest of the year squirreling away their vacation time are finally getting out of the office to go on a European adventure or take a long-awaited family trek to a theme park. What […]

Employee Benefits Fraud Prescription Drugs

Fighting Prescription Drug Fraud: Five Strategies

Kathy Bergstrom, CEBS

20 Jun 201715 Sep 2017

Prescription drug fraud is already a billion-dollar problem for insurers in the United States, with estimates for the cost of drug diversion alone at $75 billion annually. The opioid epidemic threatens to exacerbate the problem as drug-seeking behavior is the biggest contributor […]

Employee Benefits Fraud

Trusted Employee, Fraud Threat, Both?

Kathy Bergstrom, CEBS

26 May 2017

When we think about people who defraud benefit plans, we probably picture the typical bad guys—fundamentally dishonest people who feel no remorse. In reality, about 95% of the people who commit internal or occupational fraud, such as embezzlement or financial statement fraud, […]

Communication Employee Benefits Health Care

Health Plan Change Communication Gone Right

Kathy Bergstrom, CEBS

28 Apr 201728 Apr 2017

Confusion, fear, frustration—just a few of the feelings that surface quickly when hearing about a health plan change. The trustees of the Midwest Operating Engineers (MOE) Fringe Benefit Funds knew that the success of a new health care plan design would depend on […]

Affordable Care Act (ACA) Compliance Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Employee Benefits Health Care Insurance Regulatory

Compliance Checkup—ACA, SPD, COBRA

Kathy Bergstrom, CEBS

13 Feb 201718 Aug 2017

The future of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) remains uncertain, but employee benefit plan sponsors should be alert for compliance issues that aren’t going away. Scott Segal addressed common compliance errors during his presentation “Employee Benefits Compliance ‘Hot Topics’” during the 26th […]

Canada Employee Benefits Financial Education Financial Wellness Retirement Wellness

Five W’s of Workplace Financial Education

Kathy Bergstrom, CEBS

15 Nov 201624 Jan 2017

Are you considering implementing a workplace financial education program? Start the process by answering the “five Ws,” says one expert. “A thrown-together program is going to get you only so far. An effective financial education program starts out with a well-thought-out plan,” […]

Canada Communication Employee Benefits Financial Education Financial Wellness

Tap Into Data for Tailored Benefit Communication

Kathy Bergstrom, CEBS

27 Oct 2016

Tailoring pension and benefits messages by age or generation is a good first step toward helping plan members make better decisions. But that may not go far enough. “An evolution is coming to more personalized retirement and benefit plan communications,” said Michelle Oram, […]

Employee Benefits Human Resources (HR) Wellness

Wild and Not-So-Crazy Predictions About the Future of Work

Kathy Bergstrom, CEBS

12 Oct 201609 Aug 2018

Will insurance drones fly around and monitor our physical activity, and will Big Brother health plans tell when we’re depressed by monitoring our iPhone activity? Will employers use office space as rental housing for employees? Well, maybe. How about worker teams that […]