Insurance

Email meant for wife goes to boss, costs unemployment

06/09/2015

Sometimes it’s the little things that sway court decisions. A former employee of the Montgomery County Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities was denied unemployment compensation benefits after department managers demonstrated that he had repeatedly used work computers for personal business.

Supreme Court: King v. Burwell & Obergefell v. Hodges

05/08/2015

The Supreme Court of the United States has ruled that premium tax credits are available to all qualified individuals, regardless of whether they buy health insurance through a state or federal exchange. The ruling leaves intact the employer free-rider penalties in the 34 states that have not established state exchanges. The case is King v. Burwell, No. 12-114.

House bill would scrap ACA’s ‘Cadillac tax’ on health benefits

05/05/2015

Legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives to repeal the Affordable Care Act excise tax on high-cost health insurance plans scheduled to go into effect in 2018.

Contesting unemployment? Be sure you have been fair

04/29/2015

Employees discharged for willful misconduct aren’t eligible for unemployment benefits. Generally, refusing an assignment is willful misconduct. But what it you only fire one and not others who refuse the same assignment?

Recruiting: Which benefits do employers tout to highly skilled candidates?

04/29/2015

More than three-fourths of employers talk up their health benefits when trying to recruit highly skilled job applicants. Fewer tout the value of other benefits.

Study: ACA has little effect on employer health benefits

04/27/2015

Large U.S. employers are keeping health care costs down despite concerns over Affordable Care Act mandates, according to a new report by the ADP Research Institute.

Which employees are eligible for health benefits?

04/21/2015

Most employers follow the lead established by the Affordable Care Act, and offer health insurance benefits to employees who work at least 30 hours per week.

As military-leave season nears, plan now for reservists’ absence

04/17/2015

Summer is usually when employees who belong to the National Guard and military Reserves give their two weeks of duty to Uncle Sam. Some military-connected employees may be deployed for longer periods of time. Now is the time to prepare for their absence.

One-third of workers want to rebalance pay, benefits

04/09/2015

Most workers are satisfied with the health benefits they have now, but nearly a third are interested in changing the mix of benefits and wages they receive, according to a new survey by the Employee Benefit Research Institute.

Can your workers afford out-of-pocket costs?

04/07/2015

For years, employers have tried to keep health insurance premiums down by passing along other costs to employees in the form of higher deductibles, co-pays and co-insurance fees that must be paid out-of-pocket. But now, employee cost-sharing measures may be getting too expensive for many workers to afford.