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Don’t Put Up with the Bull of Bullying

October 2 | 2017
By: Geoff Mukhtar
Communications Manager at United Benefit Advisors
Don’t Put Up with the Bull of Bullying

There’s no place for bullying and that’s especially true in the workplace, yet many employees bully their co-workers. So, how does this happen? It used to be that bullying was confined to the schoolyard, but now it’s spread to cyberbullying and workplace bullying. Now, if there’s a culture of bullying at an organization, often it’s […]

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Small Businesses Healthcare Competitive, But Faces Two Big Challenges

September 18 | 2017
By: Bill Olson
Chief Marketing Officer at United Benefit Advisors
Small Businesses Healthcare Competitive, But Faces Two Big Challenges

We recently revealed how competitive small business health plans are when compared to national averages—and even how they are doing a better job of containing costs. But the UBA Health Plan Survey also uncovers two challenges these groups face in its new special report: “Small Businesses Keeping Pace with Nationwide Health Trends”. 1. Small businesses […]

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The Killjoy of Office Culture

September 15 | 2017
By: Geoff Mukhtar
Communications Manager at United Benefit Advisors
The Killjoy of Office Culture

One of the latest things trending right now in business is the importance of office culture. When everyone in the office is working well together, productivity rises and efficiency increases. Naturally, the opposite is true when employees do not work well together and the corporate culture suffers. So, what are these barriers and what can […]

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Religious Objections to Covering Contraceptives

September 11 | 2017
By: Linda Rowings
Chief Compliance Officer at United Benefit Advisors
Religious Objections to Covering Contraceptives

On August 22, 2014, the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor, and Treasury released an interim final rule and a proposed rule that provide some new accommodations to employers that have religious objections to covering contraception under their group health plans. The agencies also released a fact sheet on the rules and an […]

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Small Employers Keep Pace With Larger Firms In Containing Healthcare Costs

September 6 | 2017
By: Amanda Eisenberg
Small Employers Keep Pace With Larger Firms In Containing Healthcare Costs

Small employers are doing a better job than large companies when it comes to containing healthcare costs, according to a new report from health insurance agency United Benefit Advisors. The special report, “Small Businesses Keeping Pace with Nationwide Health Trends,” found that employers with less than 100 employees are keeping pace with the average employer […]

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What You Need to Know about Health Flexible Spending Accounts

September 6 | 2017
By: Danielle Capilla
Chief Compliance Officer at United Benefit Advisors
What You Need to Know about Health Flexible Spending Accounts

A health flexible spending account (FSA) is a pre-tax account used to pay for out-of-pocket health care costs for a participant as well as a participant’s spouse and eligible dependents. Health FSAs are employer-established benefit plans and may be offered with other employer-provided benefits as part of a cafeteria plan. Self-employed individuals are not eligible […]

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Survey: Small Businesses Keeping Pace with Health Benefits Offered by Employers Nationwide

August 30 | 2017
By: Bill Olson
Chief Marketing Officer at United Benefit Advisors
Survey: Small Businesses Keeping Pace with Health Benefits Offered by Employers Nationwide

Small employers, those with fewer than 100 employees, have a reputation for not offering health insurance benefits that are competitive with larger employers, but new survey data from UBA’s Health Plan Survey reveals they are keeping pace with the average employer and, in fact, doing a better job of containing costs. According to our new […]

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Dependent Eligibility: Top Three Reason Why You Shouldn’t Audit

August 24 | 2017
By: Bill Olson
Chief Marketing Officer at United Benefit Advisors
Dependent Eligibility: Top Three Reason Why You Shouldn’t Audit

Recently, UBA Partner Mike Humphrey, Senior Benefits Advisor at The Wilson Agency, shared some great insights for those who are considering doing a dependent audit. He points out three reasons why you shouldn’t do these audits and offers a much better approach to reining in costs associated with covering dependents that should no longer be […]

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Biting the Hand that Pays Them

August 21 | 2017
By: Ron E. Peck
The Phia Group, LLC, a UBA Strategic Partner
Biting the Hand that Pays Them

I was recently asked to speak to a gathering of hospital-sponsored health plans and providers of health care services about our health care system, and trends I see developing which threaten it. I’d planned to talk about how the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA or Obamacare) only targets one-third of the health care […]

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Strategic Benefits Communication: Five key steps to success this open enrollment season

August 17 | 2017
By: Kevin D. Seeker
Sun Life Financial, A UBA Strategic Partner
Strategic Benefits Communication: Five key steps to success this open enrollment season

In previous posts, I have talked about several aspects of strategic benefits communication. Now it’s time to put those strategies into action. As we approach enrollment season, let’s look at five key steps to ensuring this year’s open enrollment is successful for you and your employees. 1. Determine your key objectives What do employees need […]

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Emails Never Sleep: Employers Consider Email Expectations

August 14 | 2017
By: Robert Black
Software Developer, United Benefit Advisors
Emails Never Sleep: Employers Consider Email Expectations

For some employees, when they leave work, they don’t even think about it until they return the next morning. For others, while they may leave their place of employment, they’re never truly disconnected. That’s because there’s a workplace culture where some employees feel they must check and respond to their work emails 24/7/365. While this […]

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When Grief Comes to Work

August 10 | 2017
By: Kathryn Schneider
Benefit Solutions Division Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company, a UBA Strategic Partner
When Grief Comes to Work

Death and loss touch all of us, usually many times throughout our lives. Yet we may feel unprepared and uncomfortable when grief intrudes into our daily routines. As a manager, when grief impacts your employees it’s helpful to have a basic understanding of what they are going through as well as ways you can help. […]

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The Future of Corporate Wellness – Where Will We Go From Here?

August 7 | 2017
By: Valeria S. Tivnan
MPH, M.ED., Director, Population Health and Well-Being at EBS
The Future of Corporate Wellness – Where Will We Go From Here?

I am proud to say that I have been involved in corporate wellness since the mid-1980s. Helping employees live healthier and happier lives, as well as supporting employers with best-in-class tools to improve their cultures, have been my passion and purpose. I have witnessed and worked on corporate wellness since the time when physical health […]

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New Benefits Target Employee Debt

August 1 | 2017
By: Geoff Mukhtar
Communications Manager at United Benefit Advisors
New Benefits Target Employee Debt

Today, most new full-time hires expect a company to offer certain standard benefits – health, dental, vision, and life insurance, paid vacation and sick days, and a 401(k) or pension. Some companies go beyond this and provide other benefits such as profit sharing, parking reimbursement, mobile phone reimbursement, wellness programs, and even on-site daycare. So […]

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Workspace Cybersecurity Begins with Employees

July 17 | 2017
By: Tara Marshall
Help Desk Specialist, United Benefit Advisors
Workspace Cybersecurity Begins with Employees

I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now From up and down and still somehow It’s cloud illusions I recall I really don’t know clouds at all — Joni Mitchell, “Both Sides, Now” And like that song from 1969, it appears that most employees really don’t know cloud computing at all. In an article on […]

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What Employers Need to Know about the Senate Proposed Healthcare Bill

July 5 | 2017
By: Danielle Capilla
Chief Compliance Officer at United Benefit Advisors
What Employers Need to Know about the Senate Proposed Healthcare Bill

On June 22, 2017, the United States Senate released a “Discussion Draft” of the “Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017” (BCRA), which would substitute the House’s House Resolution 1628, a reconciliation bill aimed at “repealing and replacing” the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). The House bill was titled the “American Health Care Act […]

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The Pitfalls of Online Enrollment Systems

June 19 | 2017
By: Elizabeth Kay
Compliance & Retention Analyst, AEIS Advisors, A UBA Partner Firm
The Pitfalls of Online Enrollment Systems

Online enrollment platforms are great, but communication and understanding are terribly important for the end-user. I always say, “technology is great, when it works.” Online enrollment platforms have been around for years, and the technology that powers them has grown and advanced at an exponential rate. Who would have guessed that we would be enrolling […]

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HSA and Employer Responsibilities

May 25 | 2017
By: Vicki Randall
Compliance Specialist at Compliancedashboard, a UBA Certified Solution
HSA and Employer Responsibilities

It’s no secret that one of the primary agenda items of the new Republican administration is to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) and to sign into law a plan that they feel will be more effective in managing health care costs. Their initial attempt at a new plan, called the American […]

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Factor Emerging Trends, Generational Needs Into Wellness Program

May 23 | 2017
By: Jennifer Jones
Population Health Strategist at LHD Benefit Advisors, a UBA Partner Firm
Factor Emerging Trends, Generational Needs Into Wellness Program

Your wellness program seems to have it all – biometric screenings, lunch and learns, and weight loss challenges. So, why do you struggle with engagement, or to see any real results? While traditional wellness components are still a large part of plans today, emerging trends, coupled with generational differences, make for challenges when designing an […]

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Beware The Emergency Room

May 18 | 2017
Senior Consultant
Beware The Emergency Room

There are many provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that on the surface are controversial. There are some, however, that are truly universal in popularity, even among those with a disdain toward Obamacare. These are the sections that allow children to stay on their parents plan until the age of 26 no matter what, […]

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