Word on Benefits

55 Wellness Initiatives for Your Workplace

Staff

06 Jul 201706 Jul 2017

Workplace wellness programs have come a long way. From their humble beginnings with a heavy focus on fitness and nutrition, they have expanded to encompass initiatives that contribute to an employee’s overall well-being. An International Foundation survey released last month, Workplace Wellness […]

Mental Health and Substance Abuse Rights: What Employers Need to Know

Lois Gleason, CEBS

05 Jul 201705 Jul 2017

Employees are increasingly aware of their rights to mental health and substance abuse treatment through employer-sponsored health plans. Are you aware of what your plan needs to do? Below are resources to help. The U.S. government is educating individuals on the Mental […]

Employee Benefits Health Care Prescription Drugs

Covering Medical Marijuana: Must We? Can We? Should We?

Lois Gleason, CEBS

29 Jun 2017

In states where medical marijuana is legal, employee benefits administrators sometimes wonder: Must our plan cover it? Can we legally cover it? Should we cover it? Most states have legalized the use of marijuana or cannabis by an individual for medical purposes […]

Affordable Care Act (ACA) Employee Benefits Health Care Legislative

Mapping Out What’s Next for Health Care Reform

Stacy Van Alstyne, CEBS

26 Jun 201726 Jun 2017

At a recent meeting to catch up on the week’s ACA repeal and replace happenings, our resident benefit experts Julie Stich, CEBS and Kelli Kolsrud, CEBS were in rapid fire discussion, reminding each other of the many steps it takes to pass […]

Employee Benefits Health Care Wellness

Does Your Workplace Wellness Program Motivate or Aggravate?

Teri Dougherty, CEBS

22 Jun 201705 Feb 2020

Why do many employers offer health risk assessments (HRAs) to their workers? Are they providing an opportunity to uncover unknown, life-threatening health risks such as diabetes or high blood pressure? Or are they hoping to encourage healthy living by pushing workers to […]

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 Paid Leave Parental Leave

Do Companies That Add Benefits for Fathers Know Best?

Robbie Hartman, CEBS

16 Jun 201719 Jun 2017

Father, dad, daddy-o, dadmandu, baba, pops, popsicle, the old man, elder dude, Mr. Forebearer, dada lama ding dong—There are as many different dads as there are names for them, and their needs in the workplace are equally diverse. And changing. The old-school […]

Employee Benefits Fraud

Benefit Plan Data Security—Whose Job Is It, Anyway?

Staff

13 Jun 201713 Jun 2017

While data privacy has become a major concern for organizations with respect to their core business operations, benefit plans can fall outside their focus. The sensitive nature of information stored (SSNs, DOBs, financial and medical information, bank account details and beneficiary information), […]

Affordable Care Act (ACA) Defined Benefit (DB) Plans Employee Benefits Health Care Legislative Multiemployer Paid Leave Regulatory Retirement Talking Benefits Podcast

Talking Benefits Episode 6: The Plot Thickens

Staff

09 Jun 201706 Sep 2017

Catching up on the latest employee benefits updates—Are they are light read or a page turner? Looking back on the developments over the last month, you’ll likely go with the latter. Dive into the newest episode of the Talking Benefits podcast. This […]

Canada Defined Benefit (DB) Plans Employee Benefits Investments Legislative Pensions Retirement

Not Your Father’s Solvency Funding

Bryan Zoran, CEBS

07 Jun 2017

The International Foundation has been closely monitoring the significant provincial and federal funding changes for pension plans over the last few years. Target benefit plan legislation in British Columbia and Alberta, as well as federal legislation in Bill C-27, have certainly garnered a […]