Employee Benefits
December 17, 2024
Key Drivers of 2025 Health Care Cost Increases
Health care costs in the United States are likely to increase by 7%-8% in 2025, marking multiple years of compounding costs. As 2025 begins, many employers remain curious about what is driving these increases. Here are key factors that will impact rising health care costs: GLP-1 Drugs Although initially approved as Type 2 diabetes treatments,...
November 27, 2024
Supporting Mental Health for a Safer Workplace
Mental illness is a prevalent issue in the United States. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, more than 1 in 5 (23.1%) adults live with a mental illness. These conditions can range from mild to severe, with the potential to significantly impact individuals and their ability to thrive in the workplace. Proactive measures...
November 5, 2024
5 Strategies to Engage Employees in Open Enrollment
Open enrollment is a critical time for employees. It’s when employees make important decisions about their health care, retirement and other benefits that will affect them for the rest of the year. However, confusion about benefits is a widespread issue among employees of all generations; in fact, a recent survey by Business Solver found that...
October 31, 2024
Implications of the 2024 Election on Employee Benefits and Health Care
Millions of Americans have submitted ballots for the 2024 presidential election, and voting concludes on Tuesday, Nov. 5. With a new presidential administration set to take over the White House in January, health care-related topics are a high-priority issue for many voters. Election results hold the potential to bring significant changes to employee benefits and...
October 8, 2024
Getting the Most Out of Your 2025 Open Enrollment Communications
Open enrollment is a crucial period for both employers and employees. It’s when employees can make important decisions about their benefits and an opportunity for employers to engage with their workforce effectively. As organizations continue to adapt to evolving workforce needs and changing regulations in 2025, open enrollment communication becomes more critical than ever. This...
September 18, 2024
Motivating Employees to Spend More Time With Open Enrollment
Open enrollment is a critical period for both employees and employers. It’s the time when employees can make important decisions about their benefits, which can significantly impact their health, financial well-being and overall job satisfaction. However, many employees rush through this process, missing out on opportunities to optimize their benefits. In fact, a Voya Financial...
September 11, 2024
Preparing for the Fall and Winter Virus Season
During the fall and winter months, respiratory viruses tend to spread more widely. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, influenza (flu) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) were the main causes of severe respiratory disease during these times of year. Although some people have mild symptoms when they catch the flu or RSV, others get sick enough to...
September 10, 2024
Pay-or-Play Affordability Percentage Will Increase for 2025
On Sept. 6, 2024, the IRS released Revenue Procedure 2024-35 to index the contribution percentage in 2025 for determining the affordability of an employer’s plan under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). For plan years beginning in 2025, employer-sponsored coverage will be considered affordable under the ACA’s “pay-or-play” rules if the employee’s required contribution for self-only...
August 20, 2024
Key HSA Features—2025 Compliance
Health savings accounts (HSAs) are a popular type of tax-advantaged medical savings account available to individuals enrolled in high deductible health plans (HDHPs). Individuals can use their HSAs to pay for expenses covered under an HDHP until their deductible has been met, or they can use their HSAs to pay for qualified medical expenses that...
August 19, 2024
Managing Work-Life Balance During Return to School
For working parents with school-age kids, the back-to-school season can be chaotic. There are new routines to figure out, an onslaught of activities to manage and sometimes kids’ transitional meltdowns to soothe. Undoubtedly, working parents are a critical part of the U.S. workforce. Not only is labor force participation among parents back at pre-COVID-19-pandemic levels,...