Word on Benefits

U.S. Legislative Process: How a Bill Becomes a Law

Anne Newhouse, CEBS

16 Apr 202516 Apr 2025

Including the Budget Reconciliation Process In March 1976, Saturday morning television featured a new video segment called, “I’m Just a Bill,” using a fun cartoon aimed at children to visualize the complex path of the U.S. legislative process describing how a bill […]

Compliance Employee Benefits Health Care Insurance Legislative Regulatory U.S.

2025 Status of Health Care Price Transparency

Anne Newhouse, CEBS

15 Apr 202515 Apr 2025

Americans know that health care costs are high but we don’t always know the specific cost of health care. Knowing about medical costs came to the forefront for many employees when they had an incentive to make health care decisions based on […]

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Mental Health Parity Pitfall to Avoid: Network Adequacy Data Part II

Jenny Gartman, CEBS

10 Apr 202510 Apr 2025

The Department of Labor (DOL) Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)’s 2024 Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) report to Congress, issued January 17, 2025, addressed the enforcement approach to nonquantitative treatment limitations (NQTLs) for network adequacy and network composition. The […]

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Data-Driven Workplace Mental Health Initiatives

Jenny Gartman, CEBS

08 Apr 202508 Apr 2025

At the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP), data about their employee population has driven the evolution of its mental health program over the last five years. Speaker Laura Carter, associate director of benefits at HOOPP, said that a multipronged approach has […]

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Menopause and the Hidden Link to Chronic Illness in the Workplace

Anne Newhouse, CEBS

03 Apr 202503 Apr 2025

A 2023 report from the Menopause Foundation of Canada found that “the fastest growing segment of working women in Canada are those aged 45 to 55 – the time when most women reach menopause.” Although the report addresses Canada specifically, this statistic […]

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Financial Stress Takes a Toll on Workers: How Employers Can Help

Cara McMullin

02 Apr 202502 Apr 2025

Financial Challenges Like Emergency Expenses and Basic Living Costs Impact Worker Performance April 2 is National Employee Benefits Day, celebrated annually to recognize those working in employee benefits and the important role they play in their colleagues’ well-being. The 2025 theme is […]

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The Multiemployer Health Plan Landscape Report: Key Findings

Cathe Gooding, CEBS

01 Apr 202501 Apr 2025

Examining Form 5500 data submitted by 1,480 multiemployer health plans, the average benefit costs for the plans increased about 5% from 2018 to 2020, reaching $12,298 per participant per year (PPPY), according to The Multiemployer Health Plan Landscape: A 15-Year Look (2006-2020), […]

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Mental Health Parity Pitfall to Avoid: Network Adequacy Data

Jenny Gartman, CEBS

27 Mar 202501 Apr 2025

The Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) requires group health plans that provide mental health or substance use disorder (MH/SUD) benefits to offer parity between coverage of physical health conditions and mental health conditions. The […]

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Building a Psychologically Safe Workplace: A Key Step in Reducing Employee Stress

Ashton DeMoss

26 Mar 202526 Mar 2025

Stress is nothing new for working people. It’s a feeling that more than 80% of U.S. workers have reported experiencing, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). While the right amount of stress can be a positive and motivating influence, […]

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The Multiemployer Retirement Plan Landscape Report: DB Key Findings

Cathe Gooding, CEBS

25 Mar 202525 Mar 2025

The overall health of multiemployer defined benefit (DB) retirement plans improved from 2020 to 2021. The average multiemployer DB plan net investment return for 2021 was 14.5%, up from 2020 (11.4%), according to The Multiemployer Retirement Plan Landscape: A 15-Year Look (2007-2021) recently […]