Insights that make a difference

Once employees elect their health benefits and open enrollment ends, their coverage is locked in unless a qualified life change occurs. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) grants individuals special enrollment rights outside of open enrollment if they lose eligibility for other coverage, or experience certain life events like marriage, birth or adoption. Employers with Section 125 cafeteria plans may also permit election changes for certain events outside of HIPAA special enrollment cases.

Love it or hate it, artificial intelligence (AI) is integrating into business processes for organizations of all sizes and industries. Employers considering implementing AI tools into their recruiting and hiring processes should evaluate the potential and limits of this emerging technology.

A strong manager can take an organization from good to great. Conversely, the wrong candidate in a leadership role can derail morale and negatively impact company culture. Learn about the factors that elevate a good manager to a great leader.

Organizations of all sizes and industries welcome the use of part-time positions to supplement their workforce. While most benefit discussions focus on full-time employees, part-time employees should not be forgotten. Learn more about the role part-time employees play in health plan compliance calculations, required coverage offerings and how extending benefits can enhance retention strategies.

No employer is immune from the risks associated with operating a business. Even those who dedicate considerable efforts to embrace antiharassment policies and nondiscriminatory practices can find themselves in employee-based lawsuits. In today’s climate employment practices liability (EPL) insurance is a must-have coverage.

Explanation of benefits (EOBs) are a key component in understanding medical costs, but the information overload can be dizzying. To understand the true cost of care and the value of your benefit plan, it’s important to review each EOB carefully to confirm services and charges are accurate.

As with most legislation, the Department of Labor’s (DOL’s) recent overtime threshold regulation comes with a wave of complexities and special rules that employers must navigate. Don’t get tangled up digging for the details. Check out our overtime overview, providing clarity on some of the rule’s most sticky requirements.

While employers should have safeguards in place to prevent workplace misconduct, like written policies and procedures, offenses can still occur. When prevention fails, knowing how to properly identify, address and remediate misconduct cases is essential. 

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires health plans to cover certain preventive services at no-cost to enrollees, yet only eight percent of adults aged 35 or older receive all their recommended services. Preventive care is a crucial step to achieving better health outcomes, early disease detection and lower health care costs. Ensure your employees are capitalizing on no-cost options by educating them on the ins and outs of preventive care.

HR managers are the gatekeepers in the recruiting and hiring process and play a key role in supporting the success of a business. Inefficient recruiting can produce a less-than-ideal candidate pool, ill-fitting new hires and a high turnover rate. Interviewing can be an exhausting process for all involved but is an essential part of the recruiting and hiring pipeline. Ensure your recruiting and interviewing procedures run smoothly with these four considerations.