Congress Repeals ACA Rule: Provides Mid-Size Business Owners With Some Relief

The winds of change are blowing strong in Washington. In addition to last week’s news of growing Democratic support for the repeal of the Cadillac Tax, the House and Senate both passed legislation repealing the Affordable Care Act requirement that the small group market in every state be expanded from 1- 50 employees to include businesses with 51-100 employees. Yesterday the Protecting Affordable Coverage For Employees (PACE) Act was signed into law by President Obama.

This planned expansion of the small group market was expected to have a huge impact on mid-sized businesses. These businesses would have been required to buy coverage for employees in the small group market, which is more heavily regulated than the large group market. This change would have increased premium costs for employers and employees and reduced flexibility in plan design due to added small group market requirements.

With Growing Democratic Support, Will The Cadillac Tax Be Repealed?

Last week, the effort to possibly overturn the 40% excise tax on what the Affordable Care Act has deemed “excessively rich” health plans got a boost when Hillary Clinton surprisingly supported its repeal.

Even Bernie Sanders is on board with a bill moving through Congress, which would repeal this so called “Cadillac Tax”, which goes into effect in 2018 unless something is done to derail the effort.

As currently structured, the Cadillac tax will impact employers with benefit plans which exceed $10,200 for individuals and $27,500 for families. The 40% tax will apply to the value of the plans above those caps.

Employers Are Joining The Pack With Pet Insurance

We love our pets, and for good reason. There have been many scientific studies that demonstrate the strong psychological and physiological health benefits from having a pet, according to the American Association of Human-Animal Bond Veterinarians (AAH-ABV). Pets help us relax and make us more actively engaged with our environments, and they can play an important role in helping us deal with life’s hardships.

For all these reasons, and the fact that 62 percent of American households own pets, it was only a matter of time before group pet insurance was made available.

Participatory vs. Health-Contingent Wellness Programs

If you’re considering implementing a new wellness program, it is important to decide which type of program you wish to offer to your employees. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) divides workplace wellness programs into two categories: participatory workplace wellness programs and health-contingent programs. What are the differences between these two types of programs? And what are the standards employers must meet when designing a wellness program as part of its benefit package for employees?

Participatory Wellness Programs

A participatory wellness program is, by definition, open to any employee who wishes to participate. Some easily recognizable types of participatory programs include employee participation in diagnostic testing and screening; smoking cessation classes and education; reimbursement for gym or wellness center memberships; and programs for health education classes or seminars.

20 Unique Employee Benefits That Boost Employee Morale

The hiring world can be extremely competitive, especially in industries starved for top talent. Salary will always be high on the priority list for potential employees, but they also weigh other factors.

A recent study reveals that 95 percent of Americans consider job benefits and perks before deciding whether or not to take a new position or stay in their current one. Companies trying to attract the best employees may need to think a little outside the box when it comes to perks.

Here are 20 unique employee benefits that can seriously boost morale.

The Origins of Labor Day

As experts in the field of employee benefits, it seems only fitting that we share with the curious the origins of Labor Day, most especially as we enter this holiday weekend. Labor Day is, after all, a celebration of the American labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of workers.

We have President Grover Cleveland to thank for the getting the first Monday of September as a holiday every year. Several factions lobbied for the holiday to be on May 1st, to link up with International Worker’s Day, which is celebrated in over 80 countries worldwide. But for President Cleveland, May 1st was too close to the date of Chicago’s Haymarket Massacre, which occurred on May 4th, 1886.

Summer Blog Series (Part 4):

Notable PTO Trends and Novel Approaches

In previous posts in our Summer Blog Series, we’ve discussed the benefits of PTO, the advantages of using PTO automation to handle the administrative function, and common PTO policies, procedures and FAQs. For this final installment, we’ll focus on notable PTO trends and novel approaches some companies are experimenting with today.

PTO Trends:

Bank Systems on the Rise

According to a 2014 study released by WorldatWork, a non-profit research association, 41 percent of organizations participating in the study used bank-style PTO systems, while 56 percent still used traditional systems of paid leave for their employees. (PTO banks offer a combined “bucket” of available paid days off which can be used for a variety of reasons.) This approach differs considerably from the better-known system of assigning a pre-set number of days each year in separate categories like vacation, sick leave, bereavement leave, and personal days.

Summer Blog Series (Part 3):

Paid Time Off - PTO Policies, Procedures and FAQs

The summer months typically bring about a unique set of attendance issues, from abnormally high absenteeism rates to dealing with three major holidays to the administrative burdens of an onslaught of time off requests.

Here are answers to some of the most common questions about paid holidays and other PTO to help your organization navigate these challenges and create a competitive and compliant PTO plan.

Healthcare Innovation Through Disruption: Lab Testing & Theranos

Silicon Valley has been a hub of innovation for the past few decades, and Palo Alto-based Theranos is no exception. Founded in 2004 by Elizabeth Holmes, then a 19 year old Stanford dropout, Theranos is poised to disrupt the 75 billion dollar laboratory testing industry.

Their business model is simple; they developed technology which allows them to be quicker, more convenient and far cheaper than their competition. 

The Upside of Regular Vision and Dental Exams:

Early Warning Signs of Other Health Problems

Can your eye doctor or dentist save your life? It turns out the answer is yes. Taking advantage of employer-offered vision and dental benefits may have unexpected advantages. While the more obvious benefits of eye and dental exams are better vision and good oral health, routine vision and dental exams can also spotlight early warning signs of other health problems. What are some of these health issues, and how are they discovered by your ophthalmologist or dentist?