Employee Benefits

Three Ways to Celebrate National Employee Benefits Day Today

Anne Patterson
 

If you’re reading this, you probably work in employee benefits—which means today, National Employee Benefits Day (NEBD), is all about YOU! It’s a day to take a step back, look at the incredible work you do for plan participants, and know your […]

Money Savvy Kids: How Plan Sponsors Can Help Build Financial Capability for Families

Kathy Bergstrom, CEBS
 

April is National Financial Capability Month in the U.S., which represents an opportunity for employers and plan sponsors to help their employees and plan participants boost their money skills. One audience, however, that employers may not typically consider for financial education is […]

The State of Multiemployer Health Plans: Ten Takeaways

Justin Held, CEBS
 

The median cost of benefits for multiemployer health plans increased 4.7% from 2017 to 2018, reaching $11,642 per participant per year (PPPY), according to a new International Foundation report. The consistent increases in costs over the ten-year period required increases in employer […]

Where We Are Now: Special Financial Assistance Under the American Rescue Plan Act

Kathy Bergstrom, CEBS
 

From capital market return expectations to the rules that cover the program, a lot has changed in the two years since the American Rescue Plan Act was signed into law and created the Special Financial Assistance (SFA) program for struggling multiemployer pension […]

Education Benefits for Recruiting and Building Talent

Anne Patterson
 

Could education benefits help your organization recruit and retain talent? Tune into the latest Talking Benefits episode to get “schooled” on the various options available to employers in this area. The episode covers: Give it a listen to find out how your […]

It’s Coming—The End of the COVID-19 Emergencies

Amanda Wilke
 

After nearly three years, the time has finally come. The Biden administration announced that both the COVID-19 national emergency (NE) and the public health emergency (PHE) will end on May 11, 2023. Now it’s time for employers to prepare to unwind the […]

Legal & Legislative Reporter: Third Party Administrator Liable for Violation of ACA Antidiscrimination Provision

Guest Contributor
 

Every month, the International Foundation releases the Legal and Legislative Reporter, a compilation of new employee benefits–related case summaries. Below is a summary we thought you’d be interested in. Content provided by Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP. The U.S. District Court for the […]

Rethinking Gender: How Benefit Plans, Sponsors and Trustees Can—And Must—Adapt

Alyssa Hodder
 

How does the move toward greater diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) impact benefits plans? It’s a game changer, but there are still hurdles that the group insurance industry needs to overcome. A panel at the International Foundation’s Canadian Health and Wellness Innovations […]

Proposed Interest Rate Assumptions for Determining Employer Withdrawal Liability (Part Two)

Jenny Gartman, CEBS
 

A new rule proposed by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) would increase the certainty of withdrawal liability determinations for multiemployer benefit plans and likely help prevent withdrawal liability disputes from going to arbitration and litigation, PBGC officials say. The proposed permissible […]

Four Benefits That Increase Worker Productivity

Justin Held, CEBS
 

In a recent International Foundation wellness survey, respondents were asked about company culture issues that are impacting workforce productivity. Far and away, the most cited issue was worker stress. Another commonly cited issue was poor work-life balance. Responding organizations are recognizing the […]