Category: Employee Benefits
From Planning to Post-Game: Your Complete Open Enrollment Checklist
Plan and Prepare Early (8–12 Weeks Before) Communication Kick-Off (4 Weeks Before) The Final Countdown (1–2 Weeks Before) During Open Enrollment Post Open Enrollment (1–2 Weeks After) A strong open enrollment season doesn’t just check a box—it reinforces trust, improves retention, and ensures employees feel informed and supported in their benefits decisions.
How Employers Can Avoid Common HSA Mistakes
High Deductible Health Plans (HDHPs) paired with Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) remain a cornerstone of modern benefits strategy. When executed correctly, they offer a powerful “triple tax advantage” for employees and lower premiums for employers. However, the federal rules governing these accounts are strict. As we move into the 2026 plan year—and navigate new permanent…
Fertility Benefits: A Growing Investment in Employee Well-Being and Retention
Work and family are two of the most important parts of an employee’s life. But starting or growing a family doesn’t always happen easily. According to the World Health Organization, about one in six people experience fertility challenges, making the path to parenthood stressful, complex and often expensive. Not surprisingly, these challenges can spill over…
The Health Insurance Translator: Making Sense of Your Coverage
Navigating the healthcare system can often feel like trying to read a map in a language you don’t speak. Between the “alphabet soup” of acronyms—HMO, PPO, HSA—and the shifting rules of 2026 coverage, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed before you even step foot in a doctor’s office. However, health insurance literacy isn’t just about understanding…
Employee Benefits Compliance Brief May 2026
A New Era of Health and Welfare Fiduciary Litigation Health and welfare plan fiduciaries are entering a period of increased legal scrutiny. For many years, fiduciary litigation under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) focused primarily on retirement plans, and particularly on allegations of excessive fees involving 401(k) plans. More recently, however,…
Compliance Briefing | April
DOL Extends Comment Period on Proposed PBM Fee Disclosure Rule The Department of Labor (DOL) has announced a short extension to the comment period for its proposed rule on pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) compensation transparency. The rule is intended to strengthen disclosure requirements for PBMs and related service providers working with self-insured group health plans subject to…
Navigating Health Plan Options: A Quick Guide
Choosing a health insurance plan can feel a lot like solving a puzzle—there are many moving pieces, and the best fit depends on how they come together for your unique situation. With so many options and acronyms—HMO, PPO, POS, EPO, HDHP—it’s easy to feel unsure about where to start. This guide breaks down the most…
Guiding Better Benefit Decisions
Employees don’t experience their benefits all at once. They encounter them in moments — when a bill arrives, when a provider is chosen, or when an unexpected health issue surfaces. Yet, benefits communication is still heavily focused on enrollment, leaving employees without guidance when decisions are made. That gap can be costly. Over 60% of…
Educating Your Workforce: Unlocking the Power of Voluntary Benefits
Offering voluntary benefits is an excellent way to strengthen your overall benefits package, stand out from competitors, and enhance employee satisfaction—all with minimal impact on your budget. However, while employers often provide a wide range of voluntary benefits designed to offer value and convenience, many employees may not fully understand what these benefits are or…
Compliance Guide: New 2026 Rules for HSA Expansion
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) was signed into law on July 4, 2025, introducing significant updates to Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). Following this, the IRS released Notice 2026-5 to provide specific guidance on how these changes expand HSA eligibility and usage. The OBBBA broadens HSA availability through the following key provisions: 1. Permanent…