Low-income employees can’t afford healthcare and it’s taking a toll on employers

Low-income employees are at a high risk for facing financial barriers to healthcare, which could mean higher costs and lost productivity for employers down the road. Even when low-income workers — or those with annual family incomes of less than $35,000 — have employer-sponsored insurance, hurdles like high deductibles, coinsurance and drug prices can keep […]

House passes Cadillac tax repeal measure

House lawmakers overwhelmingly passed legislation to repeal the Cadillac tax, the Affordable Care Act’s tax on high-cost health plans, 419-6 late Wednesday. H.R. 748, titled the Middle Class Health Benefits Tax Repeal Act, received bipartisan support for killing the excise tax, as industry groups and labor unions have become vocal in its repeal over the […]

California launches largest state-run retirement benefit in the nation

Not offering employees a retirement plan? For workers in California, the state has them covered. The California State Treasurer’s office announced the launch of CalSavers Retirement Savings Program, a state-run IRA, this week. Over 7.5 million California employees without employer-sponsored retirement plans can access the program, making it the largest state-run retirement benefit in the […]

FMLA leave: How does it affect bonuses?

A sales employee suffers from acute stress and anxiety, which ultimately force him to take a 12-week medical leave of absence under the FMLA. Later that year, when the employer considers bonuses, the employee does not receive one because he failed to meet the established sales targets. The employee maintains that the employer’s decision was […]

Gradifi client list hits 750 employers with addition of New Balance, Wayfair

LAS VEGAS — Student loan benefit provider Gradifi’s client list has ballooned to more than 750 with new additions of New Balance and Wayfair, the company said Monday. The footwear and e-commerce companies are joining a group that already includes PwC, Sotheby’s, Honeywell and Peloton. The news — announced during the Society for Human Resource Management annual […]

Why some CEOs figure ‘Medicare for all’ is good for business

EASTON, Pa. — Walk into a big-box retailer such as Walmart or Michaels and you’re likely to see MCS Industries’ picture frames, decorative mirrors or kitschy wall décor. Adjacent to a dairy farm a few miles west of downtown Easton, MCS is the nation’s largest maker of such household products. But MCS doesn’t actually make […]

This is the voluntary benefit employers are most interested in

NEW YORK — Ask Corporate Synergies benefit consultant Nicholas Park what voluntary benefit clients are most interested in and he has a rapid response. Student loan repayment programs top the list as the most requested benefit addition for employers, Park said, speaking Tuesday at Spark HR, an HR and finance forum in New York. That’s […]

How benefits leaders can support employees during the cost-shifting crisis

Our healthcare system is experiencing a vicious cycle: hospitals provide care for the uninsured. These providers charge more to the insured population to stay profitable. Employers, as the primary gatekeepers to healthcare, take on the financial burden. They shift costs to employees to relieve the load. In short, everyone is passing the buck until — […]