September 25, 2023
In what is a regular occurrence between health systems and insurance carriers, Anthem, Inc. and UC Health, including UCLA Health, have yet to reach a contract agreement for 2024. As things stand today, Anthem members would lose UC Health Systems as in-network providers effective January 1, 2024, including health systems such as: UC Los Angeles UC San Diego …
September 13, 2023
In recent years, the healthcare industry has made significant strides toward providing more equitable care for all individuals. However, disparities in healthcare outcomes still persist, particularly for people of color and black communities. Just look at recent news about a difficult pregnancy for Serena Williams and the prepartum death of Torie Bowie for proof. “Black …
April 11, 2023
Small to mid-size businesses must be creative to survive in a competitive market. For many of these businesses, embracing a new kind of healthcare strategy is key to controlling costs and attracting top talent. These businesses are increasingly moving toward self-funding plans to reduce their healthcare costs and gain greater control over their healthcare benefits. …
January 3, 2023
Congress passed an omnibus government funding bill at the end of 2022 titled the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 to avoid a shutdown. One of the provisions affects HSA telehealth services by again extending HSA relief to consumers with High Deductible Health Plans (HDHPs). Consumers can receive first-dollar telehealth and remote care services and not …
December 13, 2022
Late last year, the new Broker Compensation Disclosure law went into effect to add transparency to the broker/client relationship. It’s part of the 2021 Consolidated Appropriations Act, which included the No Surprises Act, among many other things. What is the Broker Compensation Disclosure? The CAA requires brokers and consultants who provide employee benefits services to disclose their …
November 28, 2022
California has enacted a number of new laws on employers and how they run their workplaces. Most of those listed below take effect on January 1, 2023. This list is by no means exhaustive, so check with your labor counsel for a full perspective on the ramifications for your business. If you have questions for …
November 14, 2022
Kaiser Family Foundation (No affiliation with Kaiser Permanente) released its 24th annual survey of trends in employer-sponsored coverage. This survey is a great resource for benefits and financial professionals to better understand what’s happening in the employee benefits space, particularly among premiums, employee contributions, cost-sharing provisions, offer rates, wellness programs, and employer practices. Increased cost …
October 31, 2022
Employer health insurance costs are rising, and employees at small companies bear a greater burden than their counterparts at large employers, according to the 2022 KFF Employer Health Benefits survey. On average, employees at small companies pay $2,000 more for family coverage and face deductibles that are $1,000 higher. This report highlights the disparities in …
October 4, 2022
Primary care is a hot topic today in employee benefits and the broader healthcare space. Let’s start by defining Primary Care as when an employee has a relationship with a team of medical providers to access urgent care, chronic care, preventative care, and more. The reason primary care is in the news today is that …
September 27, 2022
As most of you are aware, there is a large labor shortage in our market due to the pandemic and many other situations. When you look at the different industries; transportation, manufacturing, education, health care, and social assistance have been impacted the most and have the largest amount of job openings. On average these industries …
