Car Insurance in Indian Land SC

The Best Car Insurance in Rock Hill SC

The Best Car Insurance in Rock Hill SC If you’re searching for the best car insurance in Rock Hill, SC, you’ve come to the right place. With so many options available, finding the perfect policy can feel overwhelming. But with the right approach, selecting coverage for yourself and your family can be straightforward. While many…

Workers Comp in Lancaster SC

Workers compensation coverage: Mistakes to avoid when making the purchase

Workers Compensation Coverage: Mistakes to avoid when making the purchase   Workers compensation coverage is insurance that provides benefits to employees who are injured or become ill as a result of their job. The coverage typically includes medical expenses, lost wages, and rehabilitation costs.   Here are some common mistakes to avoid when making a…

EEOC Issues New COVID-19 Vaccination Guidelines for Employers

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has affirmed that employers can mandate COVID-19 vaccines for employees, subject to some limitations.   The EEOC’s updated guidance offers direction regarding employer-mandated vaccinations, accommodations for employees who cannot be vaccinated due to a disability or sincerely held religious belief, and certain implications of pre-vaccination medical screening questions under the…

employee benefits healthcare

Changes for 2021 Summary of Benefits and Coverage

There are new Summary of Benefits and Coverage notice requirements for health plans starting with the 2021 coverage year. The requirements, released by the Department of Labor, have new model templates, new instructions and new information that affects the coverage examples that are required to be in SBC documents that employers with group health plans…

Demand for Voluntary Group Benefits Grows During Pandemic

As the COVID-19 pandemic drags on and many Americans see unmet needs outside of their health insurance, more and more workers are increasingly signing up for the voluntary benefits their employers offer. While many workers in the past had skipped on voluntary benefits, they have grown concerned that a good group health insurance plan may…

New Law Bans Surprise Billing

Part of the COVID-19 relief package that Congress passed in late December includes a notable provision that bans surprise medical bills when out-of-network doctors work on insureds at in-network hospitals. This so-called “balance billing” occurs when an out-of-network provider is involved in a patient’s care at a hospital that accepts their insurance, often without the…

COVID-19 pandemic

How COVID-19 Will Change Employee Benefits

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted businesses and other organizations in multiple ways. Lost revenue and the overnight change to remote workforces, among other things, have caused significant changes to operations and finances. A new report shows that there will be long-term effects on employee benefit programs as well. Health insurers are forecasting continued cost increases…

Vaccine

New Rules Require Health Plans to Cover COVID-19 Vaccines, More

The Trump administration has issued new interim final rules that set out accelerated coverage requirements for COVID-19 preventative services and covering out-of-network testing for the coronavirus. There are two parts to the interim final rules:   One requires that COVID-19 preventative services – including vaccines – be covered without any cost-sharing on the part of…

COVID-19, group health plan, health care cost

Uncertainty Weighs on Group Plan Cost Expectations

U.S. employers are expecting their group health insurance costs to climb 4.4% in 2021, despite the ravages of pandemic and a likely uptick in health care usage next year, according to a new survey. The expected rate increases are on par with much of the last few years when insurance premium inflation has hovered between…

drug cost

Final Rule Paves Way for Drug Imports to Reduce Patient Costs

The Department of Health and Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration have issued a final rule and guidance that paves the way for states to allow pharmacists and wholesalers to import prescription drugs in order to reduce costs for patients. The final rule implements a provision of federal law that allows FDA-authorized programs to import…

Open Enrollment

Getting a Head Start on Open Enrollment

With open enrollment right around the corner, it’s time to review the health plan options available to you for the next year and prepare your workplace for signing up for the 2021 policy year. The big decision for employers is finding a plan that fits not only their budget but also the budgets of their…

employee benefits

Employees Pick Perks and Benefits Over Pay Raises

Great perks and incentives packages can help attract top-notch talent, maintain employee morale and improve overall engagement and satisfaction with a company. The coronavirus pandemic has made perks and benefits even more important, particularly in light of so many workers feeling burned out, stressed from working at home or feeling isolated due to closures and…

A Reality Check Concerning Long-Term Care

Despite expected longevity increasing, more and more people will also need long-term care at some point in their life. Most people prefer to create their own reality about long-term care rather than face the truth. But, in the event of a long-term care need, it’s important that the family stays focused on the emotional and…

Pandemic Clouds Health Insurance Cost Predictions

With large employers expecting health insurance rates to climb 5.3% in 2021, they are concerned about how the COVID-19 pandemic will affect overall health care costs in the coming years, a new survey has found. Those expectations gleaned from the survey by the National Business Group on Health would mean average premiums and out-of-pocket spending…

drug cost

Trump Issues Executive Orders to Reduce Drug Costs

President Trump has issued executive orders aimed at reducing the cost of medications by tying Medicare payment for outpatient drugs to international prices, passing drug-maker rebates to patients and not middlemen, and allowing individuals to import prescription medications. Another executive order aims to force community health centers that receive 340B drug discounts to pass discounts…

Long term care

A Reality Check Concerning Long-Term Care

Despite expected longevity increasing, more and more people will also need long-term care at some point in their life. Most people prefer to create their own reality about long-term care rather than face the truth. But, in the event of a long-term care need, it’s important that the family stays focused on the emotional and…

Medicare Gets More Coronavirus Leeway

While the COVID-19 crisis worsens, Congress has made a number of important changes to Medicare to help recipients cope with associated costs, should they be tested or receive treatment. If you are a Medicare recipient, here are the changes you should know about, thanks to the passage and enactment of the CARES Act: No out-of-pocket…

Generic Drug Makers Sued over Pricing Practices

One of the country’s largest health insurers has sued a number of pharmaceutical companies, accusing them of running a price-fixing cartel of common generic drugs. Humana Inc. has accused the companies of colluding on the prices of generics to the detriment of health insurers and plan participants that have to pay for these drugs. The…

Court Rules ACA Individual Mandate Unconstitional

Starting Jan. 1, 2020, employers can establish accounts for their employees to help them pay for individual health insurance policies they purchase, as well as for other health care expenses. A new regulation expands on how health reimbursement accounts can be used. Currently, employers and their workers can contribute to these accounts, which can be…

If You Wait Around Long Enough Things Change

Change is a big part of life. Wait around long enough and we all deal with it. The Obama administration recently moved the employer mandate to January 1st, 2015. This move only affected the penalty employers with 50 or more employees will pay for not offering health insurance coverage to their employees. At this time…