Word on Benefits

Opioid Epidemic: 8 Ways Plan Sponsors Can Fight It

Chris Vogel, CEBS

19 Jul 201622 Sep 2020

In 2015, 38,300 people were killed on U.S. roads, up 8% from 2014, according to the National Safety Council. In 2014—the latest year for which statistics are available–47,055 Americans died of a drug overdose, including 18,893 deaths from prescription opioid painkillers and […]

Employee Benefits Wellness

Office Olympics: All Fun and Games Until Somebody Loses a Stapler

Anne Patterson

14 Jul 201614 Jul 2016

Trash can basketball, desk-chair soccer, synchronized stapling, water cooler weightlifting . . . With Summer Olympic season upon us, a little friendly competition in the workplace can be healthy, especially when it comes to wellness activities. While Office Olympics might not be […]

Affordable Care Act (ACA) Communication Employee Benefits

ACA Communication—The Struggle Is Real

Justin Held, CEBS

11 Jul 201611 Jul 2016

Employers and employees alike are well aware of the complexities involved in the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The results from our most recent survey show that about 40% of organizations rate their employees’ understanding as either poor or very […]

401(k) Plans Defined Contribution (DC) Plans Employee Benefits ERISA Regulatory Retirement

Ten DOL Fiduciary Rule Questions Answered

Julie Stich, CEBS

29 Jun 201629 Jun 2016

On April 6, after years of work, comments, hearings, discussions and more work, the U.S. Department of Labor released a final rule clarifying the term “fiduciary” as it relates to financial and investment advisers and spelling out when conflicts of interest arise […]

Affordable Care Act (ACA) Employee Benefits Health Care

ACA Cost Increases Hitting Employee Wallets

Staff

27 Jun 201627 Jun 2016

Faced with rising costs due to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), employers have made a number of changes to their health plans that directly impact their employees’ wallets. The International Foundation’s new report, 2016 Employer-Sponsored Health Care: ACA’s Impact, finds that about one-third of […]

Affordable Care Act (ACA) Employee Benefits Health Care

ACA—Employers May Not Love It But Don’t Support Repeal

Justin Held, CEBS

23 Jun 201624 Jun 2016

In May 2016, the International Foundation deployed its seventh annual survey in a series of how single employer plans are being affected by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The 2016 Employer-Sponsored Health Care: ACA’s Impact gave respondents the opportunity to share opinions of […]

Communication Employee Benefits Health Care

Four Ways to Make Sure EOBs Do Explain

Chris Vogel, CEBS

22 Jun 2016

Have you ever tried to make sense of health care bills after a serious illness? Did you fantasize about marching into your insurance company president’s office, handing him or her a box full of EOBs and demanding a real explanation of your […]

Employee Benefits Employee Benefits Survey Health Care Insurance

Workplaces Fight Against High Prescription Drug Costs

Anne Patterson

20 Jun 2016

The prescription drug train went full speed ahead in 2014 and is not losing steam. A new report from the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans asked employers how they are managing prescription drug costs, and responses revealed that, among other expense-saving […]

Canada Employee Benefits Health Care Mental Health

Addiction: Be Ready to Help

Kathy Bergstrom, CEBS

16 Jun 2016

Imagine summoning the courage to admit you have a problem with addiction and asking for help. Then imagine being put on a waiting list for treatment. Would you still be motivated to get help when a spot opens up—potentially several weeks later? […]

Employee Benefits

How to Be a Benefits Terms Trivia Champ

Chris Vogel, CEBS

14 Jun 201614 Jun 2016

Ah, the good old days. The International Foundation first published the Glossary of Employee Benefit Plan and Investment Terminology in 1973. That slimmer, trimmer first Glossary weighed in at 8.4 ounces and defined almost 600 benefit terms in 54 pages. It also […]