Insurance Archives - Word on Benefits

Pill bottles and large amount of Canadian one hundred dollar bills.

Drug Plan Cost-Containment Strategies

Amanda Wilke, CEBS

15 Jul 202515 Jul 2025

Today’s blog shares strategies for extended health coverage plans to consider as drug plan costs are projected to increase between 6% and 9%.

Benefits Magazine Employee Benefits Health Care HIPAA Insurance Mental Health U.S.

The New Look of Virtual Care: What’s Right for Employers and Plan Sponsors?

Guest Contributor

12 Jun 202512 Jun 2025

Benefits Magazine Extras articles provide you with bonus content on a mix of benefits topics as well as deep dives and analyses on the latest benefit trends and compliance issues. Visit ifebp.org/benefitsmagazine to see the latest Benefits Magazine Extras as well as the bimonthly print […]

Compliance Employee Benefits Health Care Insurance Legislative Regulatory U.S.

2025 Status of Health Care Price Transparency

Anne Newhouse, CEBS

15 Apr 202515 Apr 2025

Americans know that health care costs are high but we don’t always know the specific cost of health care. Knowing about medical costs came to the forefront for many employees when they had an incentive to make health care decisions based on […]

Compliance DOL Employee Benefits ERISA Health Care Insurance Legislative Regulatory U.S.

Health Plan Gag Clause Attestation Update

Anne Newhouse, CEBS

13 Feb 202513 Feb 2025

Health plans have a variety of reporting and disclosure requirements and other compliance issues to contend with. In recent years, requirements for plan sponsors have been included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA) and No Surprises Act (NSA) signed into law […]

Affordable Care Act (ACA) Employee Benefits Health Care Insurance Regulatory U.S.

ACA Employer Reporting Relief Options for Self-Funded Plans in 2025

Jenny Gartman, CEBS

14 Jan 202514 Jan 2025

On December 23, 2024, President Biden signed two laws intended to simplify employer’s Affordable Care Act (ACA) reporting requirements. The Paperwork Burden Reduction Act (HR 3797) and the Employer Reporting Improvement Act (HR 3801) allow flexibility for employers to furnish 1095-B and […]

Canada Employee Benefits Insurance Parental Leave

Employment Insurance Benefits: What You Need to Know for 2025

Eli Argueta

07 Jan 202527 Jun 2025

Understanding how government sponsored programs operate is essential to communicating benefits to all employees. Here is what you need to know regarding Employment Insurance benefits in 2025. The Employment Insurance (EI) program provides temporary income support to unemployed workers while they look […]

Affordable Care Act (ACA) Employee Benefits Employee Benefits Survey Health Care Insurance U.S.

Using Spousal Surcharges and Carve-Outs as Health Cost Management Strategies

Anne Newhouse, CEBS

25 Sep 202425 Sep 2024

With open enrollment right around the corner, employers are already contemplating strategies to help lower their health plan costs. Spousal surcharges or carve-outs are two options, but how prevalent are they? Surcharge vs. Carve-Out A spousal surcharge is an additional employee contribution […]

Insurance U.S.

Stop-Loss Premiums Increase to Over 10% Annually

Guest Contributor

19 Sep 202419 Sep 2024

Cancer and Specialty Pharmaceuticals Are Top Claimant Concerns High-dollar claimants continue to concern employer-sponsored health plans in the U.S. Those that self-fund and purchase medical stop-loss coverage have seen premiums continuing to rise over 10% annually, as reported by the 2024 Aegis […]

Employee Benefits Health Care Insurance U.S.

Employers Project 8% Rise in Health Care Costs for 2025

Cara McMullin

15 Aug 202415 Aug 2024

U.S. employers project a median health care cost increase of 8% for 2025, according to International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans survey results. This is an increase over similar surveys conducted in 2022 and 2023, which projected a 7% rise in costs. […]

Canada Cybersecurity Employee Benefits Insurance U.S.

Cyber Insurance: Do You Have It? Do You Need It?

Kathy Bergstrom, CEBS

23 Jul 202423 Jul 2024

The frequency and costs of data breaches continue to rise globally, with the average price tag of a data compromise reaching US$4.45 million in 2023, according to a recent report from IBM Security. Cyber insurance can help protect your organization from bad […]