Word on Benefits

Tackling Canada’s Retirement Crisis: An Interview With Dr. Bonnie-Jeanne MacDonald

Guest Contributor

31 Jan 202217 Feb 2023

Dr. Bonnie-Jeanne MacDonald is the director of financial security research at the National Institute on Ageing (NIA), Ryerson University(Toronto). She is also a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries (FCIA) and the resident scholar at Eckler Ltd. Her research focuses on the […]

Apprenticeship Programs Communication Education Employee Benefits U.S.

Mentorship in Apprentice Programs

Cara McMullin

27 Jan 202227 Jan 2022

January is National Mentorship Month in the U.S. and Canada! Mentors can be found in virtually every profession, and mentor/mentee relationships can be formed during any stage of a career. However, more formalized mentor relationships are often found in apprenticeship programs. Skilled […]

Communication DOL Employee Benefits Health Care Insurance Legislative Prescription Drugs

Update on the No Surprises Act

Anne Newhouse, CEBS

25 Jan 202225 Jan 2022

On December 27, 2020, the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) of 2021 was signed into law and included the No Surprises Act (the Act). With so much guidance already published addressing the Act, the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) […]

Defined Benefit (DB) Plans Employee Benefits Financial Education Financial Wellness Investments Multiemployer Pensions U.S.

The Multiemployer Retirement Plan Landscape: 10 DB Plan Takeaways

Justin Held, CEBS

24 Jan 202201 Feb 2022

According to the most recent data from The Multiemployer Retirement Plan Landscape: A Fifteen-Year Look (2004-2018), demographic trends in multiemployer plans have become less favorable as the number of actively working participants have decreased relative to the number of inactive and retired […]

Diversity and Inclusion Education Employee Benefits Financial Education Financial Wellness Health Care Insurance U.S.

What Health Plan Sponsors Should Know About Social Determinants of Health

Kathy Bergstrom, CEBS

20 Jan 202220 Jan 2022

The events of the last two years, including the COVID-19 pandemic and social unrest, have increased awareness of the impact certain social determinants can have on people’s health. In their article, “Benefit Plan Design: Focusing on Social Determinants of Health” in the […]

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Challenges of Mental Health Parity Compliance

Cara McMullin

19 Jan 202219 Jan 2022

Mental health and substance use disorders continue to be a concern for employers. As the pandemic is about to enter its third year, many express a heightened need for mental health care. Additionally, insurers report increased claims and demand for mental health […]

Communication Employee Benefits Health Care Insurance U.S.

Telehealth: Lessons From the Pandemic

Kathy Bergstrom, CEBS

13 Jan 202213 Jan 2022

With the Omicron variant causing a spike in COVID-19 cases across the country, access to telehealth visits is likely a benefit that many plan members are continuing to value and use. Nearly two years into a sort of forced experiment with telehealth, […]

Canada Coronavirus (COVID-19) Employee Benefits Mental Health U.S. Wellness Work Life Balance

Five Ways to Bring a Little Hygge to Your Workspace

Anne Patterson

11 Jan 202210 Jan 2022

The concept of hygge (pronounced “hoo-gah”) has been gaining popularity across the U.S. and Canada over the past couple of years ,and I’m here for it. It’s a Danish word roughly translated into English as “coziness.” Practicing hygge help lower anxiety, depression […]

Education Employee Benefits Employee Benefits Survey Insurance U.S.

Five Considerations When Purchasing Stop-Loss Insurance

rosep

05 Jan 202204 Mar 2022

Choosing to self-fund a group health plan has major financial implications for a plan sponsor because it is ultimately responsible for paying all legitimate medical claims that arise. As a result, many self-funded plan sponsors purchase stop-loss insurance (also called excess-loss insurance […]

Communication Defined Benefit (DB) Plans Defined Contribution (DC) Plans Employee Benefits Financial Education Retirement U.S.

Transitioning from DB to DC: What You Need to Know

Justin Held, CEBS

29 Dec 202129 Dec 2021

In my years compiling benchmarking data for the International Foundation, one of the most notable trends has been the decreasing prevalence of employer-sponsored defined benefit (DB) pension plans. In the 2011 Employee Benefits Survey, 57% of responding organizations offered a DB pension […]