health
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...
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,...
August 15, 2024
The Advantages of Voluntary Benefits
Voluntary benefits, such as vision, dental and life insurance, are additional benefit options offered by an employer. Unlike traditional benefits like health coverage, employees are responsible for paying for most or all of these voluntary options. Advantages of these benefits include: Contact us if you have questions about available voluntary benefits. Article Published By: Zywave,...
August 1, 2024
Communicating HSA Rules to Employees
As part of the open enrollment process, employers that offer HSA-compatible HDHPs should help their employees understand the benefits of opening an HSA and making tax-free contributions. Employees may be confused about the rules surrounding HSAs and may not realize all the advantages associated with these accounts. CMR Risk & Insurance Services, Inc. can provide...
July 11, 2024
Helping Employees Navigate Rising Health Care Costs
Employers continue to struggle with rising health care costs and providing employees with affordable and quality care options. Unfortunately, employers expect health care costs to increase significantly in 2024. Several industry reports revealed that employers anticipate health care costs to grow between 6.5% and 8.5% in 2024, the largest increase in more than a decade....
July 8, 2024
OSHA Proposes Heat Injury and Illness Prevention Standard
On July 2, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced an unofficial version of the proposed standard to protect workers from heat injury and illness. If finalized, the new standard would apply to all employers conducting indoor and outdoor work in all general industry, construction, maritime and agricultural...
June 10, 2024
Over 80% of Employers Will Add or Improve Benefits in the Next Year
A new report by health care benefits company Lively found that 81% of organizations plan to add or improve employee benefits in the next year to better recruit and retain employees. Furthermore, the report showed that employee experience, feedback and ease of use matter the most when benefits leaders decide to select or renew with...
April 6, 2024
Prescribing Care: How Risk Management Can Support Health Care Workers
Stressed out, overworked, understaffed, burnt out: It almost reads like a prescription side-effects list. But for a good portion of health care workers, these labels are more than that. They’re the lived experience of physicians, nurses and staff who hold lives in their hands every day. Health care workers’ wellbeing cannot be ignored. “We are...
March 19, 2024
5 Ways to Make Sure Your Wellness Benefits Are Hitting the Mark
Employers build benefits packages with the best of intentions, but too many options or the wrong ones altogether can frustrate employees and drain company resources. Nearly half of employees said they are confused by parts of their benefits plans in a recent survey by MetLife, while other studies place the number as high as 85%. An overwhelming amount of...