PPACA Penalties Pack a Punch: What Employers Need to Know
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), commonly known as Obamacare, levies hefty penalties on employers who do not comply with key provisions of the law.
Seven Open Enrollment Tips for Communicating Benefits
This year’s open enrollment period presents some unique challenges for employers looking to effectively communicate benefits options to employees. With rising healthcare costs, high inflation, a hybrid workforce split between office and remote settings, and workers facing mounting financial pressures, it is more important than ever for organizations to get open enrolment right.
Virtual Physical Therapy: An Employer’s Secret Weapon Against Opioids
The opioid epidemic continues to ravage communities across America, taking over 41 lives per day and costing billions in lost productivity and increased healthcare expenses. As employers seek solutions to keep their workforce safe and productive, virtual physical therapy has emerged as an innovative approach.
How Smart Employers are Using Second Opinions to Avoid Unneeded Surgeries
When employees require surgery, the costs to employers can be immense—not only the direct medical bills but also lost productivity from time off work. However, a growing number of employers are realizing that many recommended surgeries may be unnecessary. By offering employees access to second opinion consultations through virtual health partners, employers can enjoy significant savings per avoided surgery while improving worker health outcomes.
Report Shows Top Priorities and Challenges for 2024 Open Enrollment
New research from digital media company Arizent revealed employee benefits leaders’ biggest challenges and strategies for increasing benefits utilization. These findings can help shape employers’ 2024 open enrollment plans.
The Importance of Privacy and Cybersecurity
With the enormous amount of sensitive information stored digitally, companies need to take the proper measures to ensure this data is never compromised. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of business owners to protect their clients’ data. Failing to do so can result in a data breach, which costs companies billions of dollars every year. Understanding the risks involved with data security can help you prevent a privacy breach.
Inflation Added Up to $106B to Auto Liability Losses From 2013–2022
Inflation—both social and economic—drove personal and commercial auto liability claim costs an estimated $95 billion to $106 billion higher than they would otherwise have been between 2013 and 2022, according to a new report from the Insurance Information Institute (III).
The Impact of Secondary Perils on Property Insurance
Secondary perils, such as severe convective storms, floods, wildfires and hailstorms, have significantly impacted the commercial property market. In fact, according to industry data, secondary perils have consistently accounted for over 50% of insured natural disaster losses in recent years.
Managing End-of-Life Software
At some point, all software will reach the end of its life. This means manufacturers will no longer develop or service the product, discontinuing all technical support, upgrades, bug fixes and security fixes. As a result, end-of-life software will have known vulnerabilities that cybercriminals can easily exploit. This article discusses the risks of continuing to use end-of-life (EOL) software and discusses best practices for organizations to mitigate this risk.
Report Finds Healthcare Spending Expected to Exceed Overall Economic Growth
A recent survey found that 81% of employees want more information about company-sponsored benefits throughout the year, yet 47% don’t know enough to make informed choices during open enrollment. With open enrollment season approaching, human resources teams may want to look at some new strategies to close these communication gaps.