Insurance Archives - Word on Benefits

Using Spousal Surcharges and Carve-Outs as Health Cost Management Strategies

Anne Newhouse, CEBS

25 Sep 202425 Sep 2024

With open enrollment right around the corner, employers are already contemplating strategies to help lower their health plan costs. Spousal surcharges or carve-outs are two options, but how prevalent are they? Surcharge vs. Carve-Out A spousal surcharge is an additional employee contribution […]

Insurance U.S.

Stop-Loss Premiums Increase to Over 10% Annually

Guest Contributor

19 Sep 202419 Sep 2024

Cancer and Specialty Pharmaceuticals Are Top Claimant Concerns High-dollar claimants continue to concern employer-sponsored health plans in the U.S. Those that self-fund and purchase medical stop-loss coverage have seen premiums continuing to rise over 10% annually, as reported by the 2024 Aegis […]

Employee Benefits Health Care Insurance U.S.

Employers Project 8% Rise in Health Care Costs for 2025

Cara McMullin

15 Aug 202415 Aug 2024

U.S. employers project a median health care cost increase of 8% for 2025, according to International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans survey results. This is an increase over similar surveys conducted in 2022 and 2023, which projected a 7% rise in costs. […]

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Cyber Insurance: Do You Have It? Do You Need It?

Kathy Bergstrom, CEBS

23 Jul 202423 Jul 2024

The frequency and costs of data breaches continue to rise globally, with the average price tag of a data compromise reaching US$4.45 million in 2023, according to a recent report from IBM Security. Cyber insurance can help protect your organization from bad […]

Disease Management Employee Benefits Health Care Insurance Multiemployer Prescription Drugs Public Plans U.S.

Multiemployer Plan and Public Employer Coverage of GLP-1 Drugs

Cara McMullin

26 Jun 202426 Jun 2024

New Survey Data Reveals Total Reported Annual Claim Representation for GLP-1 Drugs for Weight Loss Is Almost Ten Percent A new survey report from the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans reveals updated U.S. employer and plan sponsor coverage surrounding glucagon-like peptide-1 […]

Disease Management Employee Benefits Health Care Insurance Prescription Drugs U.S.

Employer Coverage of GLP-1 Drugs on the Rise

Cara McMullin

13 Jun 202413 Jun 2024

New Survey Data Reveals Total Reported Annual Claim Representation for GLP-1 Drugs for Weight Loss Has Increased to Almost Nine Percent A new survey report from the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans reveals updated U.S. employer coverage surrounding glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) […]

Benefits Magazine Communication Employee Benefits Health Care Human Resources (HR) Insurance U.S. Voluntary Benefits

Five Tips for a Successful Benefits Open Enrollment

Kathy Bergstrom, CEBS

07 Sep 202307 Sep 2023

The arrival of fall signals the start of benefits open enrollment season for many organizations. A 2020 International Foundation survey found that benefits open enrollment periods most often begin in October and November—which means open enrollment starts in just a few weeks […]

Communication Employee Benefits Health Care Human Resources (HR) Insurance Wellness

Health Insurance Caught in a New Pickle

Jonas Leyrer, CEBS

05 Jul 202305 Jul 2023

For anyone familiar with retirement communities, the rise in the popularity of pickleball is nothing new. The tennis-like game which was played by 3-4 million (mostly older) Americans in the late 2010s, has exploded in popularity to nearly 9 million US players […]

Employee Benefits Health Care Insurance Prescription Drugs

PBM Reform Momentum Heats Up

Amanda Wilke, CEBS

08 Jun 202308 Jun 2023

The fight to lower prescription drug costs is underway. Congress has introduced a handful of bipartisan bills aiming to tackle drug prices by increasing transparency on pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and their practices that increase drug prices for group health plans. Congressional […]

Diversity and Inclusion Employee Benefits Employee Benefits Survey Health Care Human Resources (HR) Insurance Prescription Drugs U.S. Wellness

The Rise of Gender-Affirmation Health Care Benefits

Anne Patterson

11 May 202318 Oct 2023

Gender-affirmation health care benefit offerings have been on the rise over the past seven years, according to survey data from the International Foundation. Up from 12 percent in 2016, 30 percent of U.S. employers now offer the benefit. I spoke with Julie […]