The Key to Reducing Health Care Costs – Have We Found It? | Illinois Benefits Broker

By Elizabeth Kay Compliance & Retention Analyst AEIS Advisors A UBA Partner Firm Self-funding is a very hot topic these days for a number of reasons. For small group employers offering a self-funded plan this means they can charge a composite premium rate based on the employee population versus the community rates that are based … Continued

Two PPACA Taxes Might Get the Ax | Chicago Employee Benefits

By Jennifer Kupper In-house Counsel for iaCONSULTING, a UBA Partner Firm Health Insurance Providers Fee Section 9010 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) imposes a fee on each covered entity engaged in the business of providing health insurance for United States health risks. This is known as the Health Insurance Providers (HIP) … Continued

Proposed Rule on Wellness Programs under the Americans with Disabilities Act | Chicago Benefits Broker

By Danielle Capilla, Chief Compliance Officer at United Benefit Advisors Federal agencies recently released a Proposed Rule to amend regulations and provide guidance on implementing Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as it relates to employer wellness programs. Title I of the ADA applies to employers with 15 or more employees, prohibits … Continued

Region Matters When It Comes to HSA Funding, CDHP Adoption | Chicago Employee Benefits

By Bill Olson Chief Marketing Officer at United Benefit Advisors We’ve already discussed Health Savings Account (HSA) activity at length, looking first at the correlation between generous HSA contributions and increased enrollment in consumer-driven health plans (CDHPs). Second, we looked at how HSAs have performed in recent years across different industries. Now, we’ll look closer … Continued

Stroke Awareness month | Byrne, Byrne and Company

April 2015 is Stroke Awareness month. About 795,000 Americans each year suffer a new or recurrent stroke. That means, on average, a stroke occurs every 40 seconds. Stroke kills more than 137,000 people a year. That’s about 1 of every 18 deaths. It’s the No. 4 cause of death. On average, every 4 minutes someone … Continued

Top 5 Questions about Medicare Secondary Payer Rules | Chicago Benefits Broker

By Danielle Capilla Chief Compliance Officer at United Benefit Advisors Under federal regulations, Medicare is a secondary payer for many individuals who have an employer group health plan available to them, either as an employee or the dependent spouse or child of the employee. Generally the Medicare Secondary Payer rules prohibit employers with more than … Continued

HRAs, HSAs, and Health FSAs – What’s the Difference? | Byrne, Byrne & Company

By Danielle Capilla Chief Compliance Officer at United Benefit Advisors Health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs), health savings accounts (HSAs) and health care flexible spending accounts (HFSAs) are generally referred to as account-based plans. That is because each participant has their own account, at least for bookkeeping purposes. Under the tax rules, amounts may be contributed to … Continued

Wraparound Excepted Benefits to Launch with Two Pilot Programs | Illinois Employee Benefits

By Danielle Capilla Chief Compliance Officer at United Benefit Advisors Health plan sponsors would be permitted to offer wraparound coverage to employees purchasing individual health insurance in the private market, including the Marketplace, in limited circumstances, under a new Final Rule issued by the Department of Labor (DOL) and other federal agencies. The Final Rule, … Continued

Industry Differences Among Health Savings Accounts | Illinois Benefits Broker

By Bill Olson Chief Marketing Officer at United Benefit Advisors While recent survey data shows that, on average, employers are decreasing the amount they’re willing to contribute to employee Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), there are some industries that have not seen such trends. On average, employees saw a 10 percent decrease in their average single … Continued

Health Checklist for Men Over 40 | Chicago Employee Benefits

By Stacey Anderson www.livestrong.com Compared to women, men tend to drink more, suffer more from stress and seek medical advice less often. However, men are also living longer and their lifespan is catching up to women. Make sure that your later years are as healthy as possible. As you age past 40, following health recommendations … Continued