News

BY GIL LOWERRE AND BONNIE BRAZZELL Sometimes, payroll deduction for voluntary products isn’t an option. Whether for technical reasons, employee demographics, or employer preference, payroll deduction might not be available. But when it is, it’s usually the preferred methodology. But only considering what is easiest for us and the HR department is risky. It’s just as […]

By TOM MURPHY, AP Business Writer Associated Press Customers who bought health insurance on the overhaul’s public exchanges can expect a flurry of reports about big price hikes and some decreases for 2015 as insurers finalize their rates over the next few weeks. But they shouldn’t give much weight to any of this. The actual change in […]

BY DAN COOK You can offer employees a lavish buffet lunch onsite every day, bring in a masseuse on Fridays and hold the company picnic at Disney World. But at the end of the day, if you have the wrong people in the wrong jobs, you will still not have a happy workforce. That is […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Small businesses seeking to buy health insurance under President Barack Obama’s health care law will have to wait a couple of months before they can complete the process online, administration officials said Thursday in the latest delay of the high-stakes rollout. New online health insurance markets created by the law for individuals […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — You might be pleased with the low monthly premium for one of the new health insurance plans under President Barack Obama’s overhaul, but the added expense of copayments and deductibles could burn a hole in your wallet. An independent analysis released Wednesday, on the heels of an administration report emphasizing affordable premiums, […]

Many employers are reconsidering whether they will send the Exchange Notice because there are no penalties in connection with a failure or refusal to provide the notice. In a brief Frequently Asked Question document (link provided below) issued on September 11, the Department of Labor formally clarified that an employer covered by the Fair Labor […]

By SARAH E. NEEDLEMAN And ANGUS LOTEN CONNECT Small businesses offering health insurance tend to require their employees to cover significantly more out-of-pocket than do big companies—and new limits imposed by the health-care law likely won’t ease the pain. At businesses with fewer than 200 workers, for example, employees pay an average of $1,715 a year out-of-pocket to cover […]

BY JOYCE M. ROSENBERG SEPTEMBER 20, 2013  NEW YORK (AP) — Many small businesses hope to temporarily sidestep Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) by renewing their coverage early. One of those businesses is Huber Capital Management. The asset management firm is renewing its health insurance policy this year, instead of next year. The early […]

Managers of Covered California may require individual exchange plan issuers to accept cash payments through neighborhood utility offices or other brick-and-mortar offices. The managers discuss payment options in a premium payment report in a packet for an upcoming board meeting. All of the 12 sellers of individual “qualified health plans” (QHPs) will be taking personal checks, cashier’s […]

Gina Binole benefitspro Two U.S. senators have introduced a bill to redefine what it means to be a full-time employee under the Patient Protection and Affordable Act. The measure, if enacted, would protect a greater number of employers from fiscal penalties imposed by the law as now written. The legislation, the Forty Hours is Full […]