It’s not enough to give your employees the right health plan if they don’t understand it. An online employee portal or self-service site can help — if employees are motivated to use it. You put a lot of time, effort and money into choosing and purchasing the right health benefit plans for your employees. However,…
In April, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released its first round of guidance in the form of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) concerning the new federal employer credit for paid family and medical leave under Code Section 45S. The FAQs provide a summary of the credit, particularly on the eligibility rules. The IRS recognizes that these FAQs…
USI has emerged as a new force and leader in the insurance brokerage and consulting industry, and across companies of every industry. Forbes Magazine surveyed more than 30,000 individuals who work for businesses with at least 1,000 employees to rank America’s best employers. We are proud to announce that USI has been named by Forbes as…
With health care costs on the rise and ongoing confusion around how claim costs are determined, it’s hard to advocate for your employees and save your organization valuable dollars on the benefit spend. Reference-based reimbursements (RBR’s) are just one way of tackling the exorbitant increases demanded by hospitals and providers. Hear from USI Vice President…
On April 26, 2018, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced relief associated with the decrease from $6,900 to $6,850 for 2018 Health Savings Account (HSA) contributions tied to family coverage that was previously announced in Revenue Procedure 2018-18. New IRS guidance in Revenue Procedure 2018-27 allows taxpayers to once again treat the 2018 maximum HSA…
You’ve worked hard to choose and provide the right group health benefit plan for your employees. The premiums are reasonable, the deductibles are low and plan participants have a good choice of health care providers. That’s a good start, but there’s something else you should do — educate your employees. The more your employees know…
Drugs are formulated for normal physiology. Physicians with knowledge of a person’s unique genetic makeup can better determine which drugs will be most effective. Anyone who has watched a commercial for a prescription medication expects to hear a disclaimer warning of potential health hazards. Possible side effects — depending on the medication — can range…
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced a final rule on December 16, 2016, revising the claims procedure regulations under ERISA for employee benefit plans providing disability benefits. The final rule revised and strengthened the prior rules by adopting certain procedural protections and safeguards for disability benefit claims that were currently applicable to claims for…
A particularly virulent influenza strain, H3N2, was responsible for a record number of illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths this winter. U.S. health officials say that flu-related hospitalizations were the highest they’ve been in 10 years. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that there were almost 82 laboratory-confirmed influenza-associated hospitalizations per 100,000 population, breaking records…
Long-term disability coverage offers employees better financial security. Yet most workers choose short-term coverage Can you imagine what it would do to your financial situation if you could not work for 35 months? Losing almost three years of wages would be devastating to anyone. Sadly, that’s the average long-term disability absence for American workers, according…
From New York State Workers’ Compensation Board: There are still spaces available for next week’s Spanish-language Paid Family Leave webinars for employees and employers, hosted by Board Chair Clarissa Rodriguez. Each webinar will be approximately one hour long and will include time for questions and answers. Space is limited, so please register soon. When you click ‘register…
Can Amazon, Berkshire and JP Morgan Chase Forge a New Healthcare Frontier? By Mike Turpin, USI Executive Vice President Leader’s Edge magazine, March 2018 Three of America’s most admired companies—Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase—representing close to two million employees, recently announced the formation of a company to tackle the unsustainable and surging costs of healthcare…
