WEBINAR – How to Prepare for a Department of Labor Welfare Plan Audit – 4/11
Stacy H. Barrow, Esq. | Compliance Director
During this webinar, Stacy H. Barrow, Esq., BAN Director of Compliance, will provide attendees with tips for surviving a Department of Labor (DOL) audit, background on DOL audits for group health plans, how the DOL audits, and what the DOL looks for during a group health plan audit.
Benefit Advisors Network is recognized by SHRM to offer Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP. This program is valid for one [1] PDCs for the SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP.
Dr. Bruce Campbell, PhD, MD | Chief Medical Director
High (specialty drug costs for treating some chronic conditions can be as high as $1 million annually for a single plan member) and rising specialty drug costs have become the most important health plan cost driver for many employer groups. The entry of these drugs into the marketplace has raised important economic, health, and ethical questions for all health plans.
After this webinar, employers will have a better understanding of specialty drug use, the drug release schedule, and most importantly practical action steps to control costs without adversely affecting members’ health and prognosis.
Benefit Advisors Network is recognized by SHRM to offer Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP. This program is valid for one [1] PDCs for the SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP.
During this educational webinar David Konrad offers BAN members and their clients an overview of how mid-market employers can direct contract with local provider systems, with an emphasis on how a provider sponsored health plan removes the insurance obstacles between patient and provider, while traditional insurance products do not encourage expense reduction by providers, employers or members, this plan aligns incentives for local, quality access to care and cost savings. Key areas of focus include how to implement a health plan that meets the needs of your community, how to deliver a health benefit strategy with a focus on preventative health, how to deploy the most effective cost containment strategies, and how to share in the risk and reward of their collaborative efforts.
Webinars typically take place on scheduled Wednesdays from Noon to 1:00 PM Eastern Time
Key Takeaway:
How employers engage provider systems in 2018 utilizing little or no capital investment for turnkey insurance leadership, experience, and management with an expense load half that of traditional BUCA plans.
The use of this seal confirms that this activity has met HR Certification Institute’s® (HRCI®) criteria for recertification credit pre-approval.
Benefit Advisors Network is recognized by SHRM to offer Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP. This program is valid for one [1] PDCs for the SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP.
Todd Owen | President & CEO, Windsor Strategy Partners, LLC
Learn more on how benefit advisors can effectively and credibly model the expected impact on projected health benefit claim costs resulting from changes to a group’s benefit plan design. John and Todd will also explore modeling the expected impact on a group’s projected claim cost resulting from changes to the group itself, e.g., the impact of changes to group size and demographics as a result of a merger or an acquisition.
Webinars typically take place on scheduled Wednesdays from Noon to 1:00 PM Eastern Time
Key Takeaways:
Learn how benefit advisors can effectively and credibly model the expected impact on projected health benefit claim costs resulting from changes to a group’s benefit plan design.
This webinar qualifies for SHRM, HRCI, and CEBS credits.
The use of this seal confirms that this activity has met HR Certification Institute’s® (HRCI®) criteria for recertification credit pre-approval.
Benefit Advisors Network is recognized by SHRM to offer Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP. This program is valid for one [1] PDCs for the SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP.
This webinar should be attended by employers with self-insured plans or those with fully insured plans that create, maintain, or receive PHI under HIPAA.
Join Stacy H. Barrow, Esq. for an overview of HIPAA’s Privacy and Security Rules. During this webinar Stacy will review the different types of entities subject to HIPAA, take an in-depth look at Protected Health Information (PHI), individual rights to HIPAA, and what to do when there is a PHI breach.
Benefit Advisors Network is recognized by SHRM to offer Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP. This program is valid for one [1] PDCs for the SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP.
Employee Wellbeing: It Matters More Than You Think
Health and overall wellbeing impacts your employees in many ways. And because it affects your employees, it also impacts your business.
When staff members are physically, mentally, or financially unstable, they can’t live up to their full potential, both personally and at work. And while you may not notice any immediate changes, over time this will be reflected in your bottom line.
Wellness shmellness
Wellbeing efforts in the workplace seem to bring out extreme opinions. There are those who believe wholeheartedly in wellness initiatives and those who feel these programs don’t do anything but cost money and annoy people.
And while the calculable ROI for employee wellness efforts may be up for debate, the fact that unwell employees cost companies money isn’t.
An unhealthy work environment or team can have deep impacts on many levels of your business. Some of these effects are tangible and measurable, and some are merely observed and felt. Either way, the damage is real:
Low staff morale
Elevated stress levels
Frequent absenteeism
Decreased productivity
Higher insurance premiums
Increased accidents and injuries
Difficulty recruiting and retaining talent
Still not convinced?
Take a look at some of the numbers:
Research from ComPsych found that nearly half of workers surveyed are suffering from moderate to severe stress:
66% report having difficulty focusing on tasks
21% report errors and/or missed deadlines
15% report trouble getting along with co-workers/superiors
14% explain missed days and lateness as being stress-related
According toGallup studies, healthy workers miss an average of four days per year, while unhealthy workers can be missing from 14 to 42 days per year.
Wellbeing continues to be of interest employers, and rightly so. The case for healthier and less stressed employees is strong.
Unfortunately, it can be difficult to come up with effective strategies for improvement. But while finding the right mix of efforts can be challenging, waiting until you have the “perfect” solution to address the issue isn’t a good option.
Moving toward wellbeing
You can take the mystery out of what wellbeing might look like for your employees with one simple idea: Just ask them.
Rather than making assumptions about what your employees need, hold small group discussions to gather information about what your team sees as key to their overall wellbeing. You may find they are concerned about health-related issues, financial issues, or simply struggling with increasing workloads.
Once you have a better understanding of where people would like and accept help, then you can implement solutions with a high likelihood of participation, appreciation, and success.
It might be easier than you think
After doing the research, you may find it isn’t necessary to create a comprehensive or complicated program to increase staff wellbeing, productivity, and morale. Things like offering more flexible work schedules, relaxing your dress code, or rethinking current workflow processes could go a long way toward helping reduce employee stress, a key ingredient to many of life’s ailments.
Focusing on wellbeing can help your employees become physically, mentally, and financially healthy. In other words, exactly the kind of people you want on your team.
At Sonus Benefits, we build cost effective, long-lasting benefits strategies to keep your business and your employees in optimum health. Located in Kirkwood, MO, we help clients throughout the greater St. Louis area identify and manage complex employee benefits challenges. If you would like help managing your employee programs, we may be the insurance consultant and business partner you need.
Employee Benefits |By Scott Schulte,
Ask Not What You Can Do for Your Broker
Your broker shouldn’t be showing up once a year asking you to look at a spreadsheet, choose a policy, and sign on the dotted line. If that’s what’s happening, you may need to re-think your corporate employee benefits and HR strategies. And who you choose to help you achieve them.
As the cost of healthcare continues to skyrocket, so too, does the cost of providing an employee benefits package that will:
Make your current employees feel appreciate
Entice top-notch new additions to join your team
Help you maintain a happy, healthy, and productive workforce
Help you maintain a happy, healthy, and productive workforce
Here in St. Louis, we know many businesses are struggling to do this as premiums continue to rise.
So, what next?
When renewal time rolls around, smart leaders will take advantage of the opportunity to re-evaluate insurance programs, business expenses, and processes to see where it makes sense to make changes and potentially cut costs.
And while it may be tempting to focus on employee benefits as the primary source of escalating employee expenses, it’s not necessarily the biggest offender— or the first place you want to make cuts.
Yes, a good insurance agent can probably save you some money on your employee benefits plan. But a great benefits consultant can help you formulate strategies to solve your most pressing HR issues and drive your business to be the best it can be.
Do a quick reflection
What operational difficulties are you facing?
What operational difficulties are you facing?
What financial rabbit holes do you have?
What HR problems are you trying to find answers for?
How concerned are you about employee turnover?
Workplace stress?
A toxic employee or environment?
Compliance regulations and potential fines?
Any one item from this list can bring about a level of operational and financial inefficiency, not to mention stress, that can cause serious problems in your organization. Pair a few of them together and you’ve got major problems. An insurance agent who simply “sells you a product” is not contributing to helping you solve these problems. And chances are you could use some help with something on this list. At the very least, you could use a new perspective and opinion on your programs.
A solutions-focused insurance agent might be just the person you need to help answer your toughest questions and solve your most perplexing problems.
The best benefits brokers adamantly believe that providing employee benefits means more than just grabbing the cheapest policy and checking it off the “must do” list. These inspired consultants know that a comprehensive benefits program is part of a larger strategy to help enhance many areas of your business, including:
Employee Engagement
Employee Communication
Performance Management
Employee Wellbeing
Benefits Administration and Compliance
When employees are happy and healthy, teams run more smoothly. Smooth-running organizations with positive cultures are able to attract and retain the top-tier talent they need to take them to the next level.
Should you work with a trusted broker to manage the price of your insurance products? Of course! That’s a given. But we’re promoting a strategy that also considers the bigger picture.
You could probably use some additional help getting a better ROI from your benefits spend. It’s time to expect more.
Tired of working with insurance salespeople who only think one year at a time? Wonder what it would be like to have a broker who looks beyond your annual policy? At Sonus, we’ll provide a corporate employee benefits strategy to help you achieve your long-term your vision. Get in touch to find out how.
Employee Benefits |By Sonus Benefits,
WEBINAR: Introduction to Consumer Directed Healthcare and Account-Based Plans: HDHPs, HSAs, FSAs and HRAs – 10/11
Stacy Barrow, Esq. offers an introduction to consumer directed healthcare including:
Background on Consumer Directed Healthcare
HSA Eligibility and Contribution Rules
Using HSA Funds
Employer Contributions to HSAs
HRAs and FSAs under the ACA
October 11, 2017
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm Eastern
11:00 am to 12:00 pm Central
10:00 am to 11:00 am Mountain
9:00 am to 10:00 am Pacific
Employee Benefits |By Sonus Benefits,
WEBINAR: Legalities of Creative Benefit Designs: Wellness Programs that comply with DOL, ADA and GINA Rules -8/9
To register for this webinar: CLICK HERE
Password: CBD0809
Join us for an overview of the legal and regulatory guidelines for wellness programs set forth by the U.S. Department of Labor and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Learn how different types of wellness programs trigger application of rules under HIPAA, ADA and GINA. We’ll provide a review of the limits on rewards under DOL and EEOC rules. There will be a discussion of the notice requirements applicable to wellness programs and we’ll touch on recent court cases of interest.
August 9, 2017
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm Eastern
11:00 am to 12:00 pm Central
10:00 am to 11:00 am Mountain
9:00 am to 10:00 am Pacific
Employee Benefits |By Sonus Benefits,
WEBINAR: Mitigating Health Claims Risk – 7/26
To register for this webinar: CLICK HERE
Password: MHC0728
In the second of this 2 Part Assessing and Mitigating Health Claims Risk, webinar series, Dr. Bruce Campbell provides guidance on Mitigating Health Risk. Attendees will gain an understanding of value based insurance design, optional programs from the health plan and pharmacy benefits manager, when it is appropriate to hire an external vendor and who they should be, and various health promotions to engage with employees and boost morale.
