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Insurance

Half of employers invested more on health care in 2015

10/23/2015
Spending on health care benefits was up in 50% of organizations surveyed this year. In contrast, only about a quarter of employers reported spending more on wellness programs and career development.

Health premiums steady, out-of-pocket costs spiral

10/05/2015
Single and family premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance rose an average of 4% this year, continuing a decade-long period of moderate growth, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation/Health Research & Educational Trust 2015 Employer Health Benefits Survey released Sept. 10.

Can we require proof of a same-sex marriage?

09/07/2015
Q. We received our first request for a same-sex spouse to be covered under our insurance. We’re fine doing this, as long as they are actually married. (We don’t cover domestic partners.) Can we ask for proof of marriage even if we don’t ask it from opposite-sex spouses? I’d like to create a policy that says if your last name is different than your spouse you wish to cover, we need proof of marriage. Is that legal? 

Consumer-driven health plan satisfaction rising

08/20/2015
People with health insurance continue to express higher satisfaction with traditional health plans compared with so-called “consumer-driven” plans, but the satisfaction gap appears to be narrowing, according to new research from the Employee Benefit Research Institute.

Revisiting domestic-partner coverage after Obergefell

08/13/2015
When the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, plenty of HR pros started to wonder: Do we even need to offer health benefits to employees’ domestic partners anymore?

Cutting hours to dodge ACA may violate ERISA

08/11/2015
In the brave new benefits world defined by Obamacare, a new creature has sprung forth: the ERISA challenge.

IRS releases 2016 HDHP/HSA limits

08/10/2015
In 2016, IRS rules will allow employees with self-only coverage under high-deductible health plans to continue contributing up to $3,350 to health savings accounts. The minimum annual deductible for an HDHP remains $1,300. Maximum out-of-pocket expenses increase $100, to $6,550.

Absence alone isn’t grounds to deny unemployment comp

07/24/2015
Employees discharged for being absent may still be eligible for unemployment compensation. That’s because employees must have committed willful misconduct to lose the right to benefits. An employee fired for missing work because he couldn’t call in or otherwise comply with his employer’s call-off procedure, for example, would still be eligible.

Health benefits alternative: HSA balances growing

07/23/2015
Average health savings account balances increased from $1,408 to $1,933—up about 37%—in 2014, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute.

No excuse for tardiness? No unemployment, either

07/22/2015
Employers have the right to expect their employees will generally show up for and leave work as scheduled. Workers who, without a good reason, are frequently late or leave early aren’t eligible for unemployment compensation if they’re fired. Those absences, even if largely unintentional, are misconduct.