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…
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has issued new rules that require Medicare to cover medical devices that the Food and Drug Administration designates as “breakthrough” technology. The rule paves the way for giving Medicare recipients access to the latest technologies four years after they receive market approval by the FDA. The move…
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…
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…
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…
The $900 billion COVID-19 relief bill, passed by Congress and signed into law on Dec. 27, includes a number of provisions that affect employers and their workers in terms of paid sick leave and Emergency Family and Medical Leave Act provisions. The legislation also boosts unemployment benefits to out-of-work Americans, as well as reopening and…
With the COVID-19 pandemic weighing on employers and employees alike, businesses can help their staff by leveraging health savings accounts to pay for out-of-pocket expenses. Congress in 2020 untethered HSAs and flexible spending accounts by changing the rules that prohibited account holders from using the funds in their accounts for over-the-counter medicines and other non-prescription…
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…
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…
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…
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…
One of the biggest mistakes people make in planning their health and life coverage is assuming they’ll never need long-term care services, or that if they do need these services, they will pay for them with their savings. And many people shy away from long-term care insurance because they worry about premium hikes or the…
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…
A heart attack, stroke or major organ failure can suddenly hit anybody. When it does, life changes in a second, at first being a struggle for survival and, if the person survives, they are faced with major expenses. While overall fitness and health is the best prevention against one of these events, it is still…
Best Insurance Broker in the Charlotte Area Each year, we at Haynes Full Circle Benefits meet with thousands of employees and individuals in the Charlotte area with respect to their employee benefits and individual insurance needs. And because so many folks know our thoughts and feelings on all things “insurance related,” they often ask us who…
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…
Why Does My Medicare Supplement Plan Continue to Go Up? This is one of the top questions we get from our Medicare clients. Most people, when they retire, are on a fix budget. Just like most things we purchase in life, Medicare supplements (Medicap) do and can go up. What causes the increases and what…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
A heart attack, stroke or major organ failure can suddenly hit anybody. When it does, life changes in a second, at first being a struggle for survival and, if the person survives, they are faced with major expenses. While overall fitness and health is the best prevention against one of these events, it is still…
Most people think about purchasing long-term care insurance when they get into their 50s, or even their 60s or 70s. But if you purchase a plan when you are in your 40s you can enjoy significant savings on your premium, and even more if you purchase at an even younger age. Long-term care insurance provides…
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…
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…
A new study has found that more and more large employers are ditching high-deductible health plans as the job market tightens and they need to boost improve their health insurance offerings to retain and attract talent, and saddle their employees with less of the cost burden. https://lnkd.in/fk-Wx6C
A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association estimates that about 25% of all health care spending in the U.S. is attributable to waste in the system. The study is eye-opening and reflects the need for new approaches in the health care system and how medical care and pharmaceuticals are paid…
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…
A new study has found that the average annual premium for a group family health plan has exceeded $20,000 for the first time in 2019, up 5% from 2018. The average premium for single coverage plans in 2019 is $7,188, up 4% from the year prior, according to the report. But what can you do…
The beginning of a new year can be really exciting. Begin a fresh start on changing your old ways. Maybe it’s spending more quality time with your family or taking better care of yourself. Dieting resolutions and gym memberships increase in January of every year. Within the first five months of the new-year, 80 percent…
Clients Will Always Feast at the Buffet of Great Customer Service We all have different customer service experiences to give. What makes those experiences, whether good or bad so easy to remember? In business, whether retail or business to business, are your You can only offer what you have. You can only be who you…
The Affordable Care Act, by all accounts, changed our health care system. A big focus has been on employers with 51 or more employees and how all those changes are going to affect their bottom line and responsibilities as an employer. You must keep one thing in mind; those changes do have an impact on…
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…