health insurance

18 Prescription Drug Cost-Containment Strategies For Your Plan

18 Prescription Drug Cost-Containment Strategies For Your Plan

Justin Held, CEBS
 

Benefits practitioners have grown accustomed to headlines addressing the escalating costs of prescription drug spending. Despite concerted efforts, the cost of commonly prescribed brand-name drugs continues to grow at alarming rates. A recent study from the University of Pittsburgh stated that over […]

DOL Releases Model Notices for COBRA Subsidy Under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021

DOL Releases Model Notices for COBRA Subsidy Under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA)

Jenny Gartman, CEBS
 

​Thirty-five years ago this month, the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA) was signed into law. COBRA provides a way for workers and their families to temporarily maintain their employer-provided health insurance during situations such as job loss or a […]

Organizations Face New Health and Retirement Benefit Implications Due to COVID-19

Organizations Face New Health and Retirement Benefit Implications Due to COVID-19

Anne Patterson
 

How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted employee benefits? The International Foundation has been tracking implications for workplaces across the country, providing a snapshot of the difficult decisions employers and their workers are making regarding their retirement and health care benefits. The latest […]

Can Canadian Employers Require Employees to Join a Group Benefit Plan?

Can Canadian Employers Require Employees to Join a Group Benefit Plan?

Amanda Wilke
 

Canadian employers know that their employees value benefit plans. Employer-sponsored plans often provide additional benefit coverage to employees beyond the basic medical treatment covered under the universal health care system. Every employer’s benefit plan may be different—some include mandatory benefit programs that […]