Word on Benefits

Affordable Care Act (ACA) Employee Benefits

PCORI Fee: Long Story for Short Plan Years

Jenny Gartman, CEBS

11 Jul 201826 Jul 2018

As the July 31, 2018 deadline approaches for paying fees required under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to help fund the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), some International Foundation members have been asking about short plan years. Self-insured plan sponsors will report and pay PCORI fees once […]

Employee Benefits Parental Leave

Phased Return to Work: An Emerging Trend for New Parents?

Staff

02 Jul 201802 Jul 2018

The transition from caring for a baby 24 hours a day to being a full-time employee isn’t always an easy one. One minute it’s all feeding schedules and baby snuggles—and the next it’s morning commutes, project deadlines and an e-mail inbox reminding […]

Apprenticeship Programs Employee Benefits

5 Takeaways on the Future of Canadian Apprenticeship Training Programs

Justin Held, CEBS

28 Jun 201829 Jun 2018

Apprenticeship training has long been a key strategic initiative at the International Foundation. Over the years, we’ve engaged in a number of partner initiatives with the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum (CAF-FCA), and in mid-June International Foundation staff members, including myself, traveled to Montreal […]

Employee Benefits Multiemployer Public Plans

Your Janus v. AFSCME Explainer

Guest Contributor

27 Jun 201827 Jun 2018

Update: The Supreme Court has issued its final decision on Janus v. AFSCME, ruling in a 5-4 decision that individuals who want to opt out of public-sector unions are no longer required to pay fair share fees. The Court stated that its […]

Employee Benefits

Trendy Employee Perks

Anne Patterson

25 Jun 201825 Jun 2018

Each month on Talking Benefits, I join the International Foundation’s three resident benefits nerdthusiasts Julie Stich, Kelli Kolsrud and Justin Held to discuss the top stories in retirement and health care, the latest benefits hot topics, and take a deeper dive into a […]

Employee Benefits Mental Health Opioid Abuse Prescription Drugs

4 Ways to Control Substance Abuse Treatment Costs

Kathy Bergstrom, CEBS

18 Jun 201820 Jun 2018

Treating opioid addiction has become a costly problem for health plans. Particularly troubling are reports of unethical treatment facilities that exploit patients, failing to deliver on their promises of recovery. Because many of these facilities are not in-network health care providers, they […]

Employee Benefits Health Care

An Employee Turns 65: How Medicare Enrollment Impacts Their HSA

Anne Newhouse, CEBS

11 Jun 2018

Although health saving accounts (HSAs) have been available since 2003, for many plan sponsors new situations continue to arise. One of those situations could be having an employee turn 65. Now what happens? Medicare eligibility and enrollment seem simple but in reality […]

Employee Benefits Flexible Work Options Human Resources (HR)

5 Ways to Get Your Workplace Summer-Ready

Anne Patterson

07 Jun 201819 Jun 2019

Your neighbor’s pool is open, your summertime playlist is perfectly curated and ready to debut, and the weekends are filling up with weddings, BBQs and soccer games. However, with most of us soaking up indoor institutional lighting in lieu of real vitamin […]

Employee Benefits Health Care Prescription Drugs

No Magic Pill to Cure Specialty Drug Costs (But Some Preventive Measures)

Julie Stich, CEBS

05 Jun 201808 Aug 2018

Employers and plan sponsors scrutinize the cost of their health care benefit plans with a keen eye. One area that causes major eye twitch is specialty prescription drugs. As reported by AARP, the retail price of specialty drugs increased by almost 10% […]

Employee Benefits Health Care Insurance

New Recipe for Health Care Purchasing Blends Savings and Quality

Kathy Bergstrom, CEBS

04 Jun 2018

What’s the best recipe for making sure your plan participants are receiving high-value health care? The old cookbook called for health plan sponsors to focus on getting the cheapest health care possible and using their leverage to convince providers to offer a […]