According to Bankrate’s Financial Security Index, January 2019, 60% of Americans don’t have savings available to cover an unexpected $1,000 expense such as a deductible. The Kaiser Family Foundation/Health Research & Education Trust in their 2018 Employer Health Benefits Survey found that 58% of Americans with health insurance have a deductible of $1,000 or more. Taken together, more than half … Read More
How to Maximize Savings Through Pre-Tax Healthcare Accounts
You likely provide your employees with great health insurance coverage and pay a portion of their premium, but even so, co-pays, deductibles, and coinsurance for doctor visits, prescriptions, as well as dental and vision expenses, can really add up! Not to mention the cost of an emergency room visit or unexpected surgery, which can range anywhere from a few hundred … Read More
How To Prepare For Open Enrollment — Changes & Success
*This is Part 2 of our Open Enrollment blog series, in case you missed it, here’s Part 1. “Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.” — Alexander Graham Bell. Now that you’ve gathered key insights into what employees truly value, want, and need when it comes to their benefits package, and determined what needs to be adjusted, … Read More
Assessing the Value of Your Employee Benefits Program
*Part 1 of our Open Enrollment blog series For many public sector employers, annual open enrollment is right around the corner. Open enrollment is an opportunity to showcase your benefits program and the value it provides to your employees. Before open enrollment begins, it’s important to evaluate what you offer and if those offerings are valuable to your employees. … Read More
What to Look For in an Employee Benefits Consultant
Employee benefits, especially health and pharmacy, are confusing and costly. The complexity inherent in the system poses a challenge for your organization and for the employees who support your educational mission. The good news is, employee benefits provide great value to your operation that reaches far beyond financial concerns. With the right guidance, they can be hugely beneficial to your … Read More
Tips For Avoiding The Holiday Blues
Many people experience feelings of anxiety or depression during the holiday season, even if they don’t struggle with mental illness year-round. A lot of seasonal factors can trigger these feelings, including less sunlight, changes in your diet or routine, increase in alcohol intake at social gatherings, inability to be with friends or family, and more. Any one of those triggers … Read More
Are You Languishing? Here Are 7 Tips for Coping
Do you feel like you’re living life in a fog? Are you having trouble concentrating? Does it feel like you are experiencing burnout and only have enough energy to get through the day? These feelings aren’t as serious as clinical depression, but the struggle is still very real. You’re probably experiencing a sense of languishing. Many psychologists have used the … Read More
Why Self-Funding Might Make Sense for Your Employer Organization
Self-funded insurance is becoming more popular with employers today—especially those operating in the public sector, as the benefits of self-funding many of the time outweigh the costs. Education is key! Only employers that have an experienced self-funding consultant in their corner are able to understand the financial benefits, realize the full potential, and reap the rewards of self-funding. Rewards include … Read More
Managing Employee Burnout and How To Avoid It
Cynical. Critical. Crabby. All are tell-tale signs of employee burnout and all are more common than you might think. According to Mayo Clinic, “job burnout is defined as a special type of work-related stress — a state of physical or emotional exhaustion that also involves a sense of reduced accomplishment and loss of personal identity.” The experts at Mayo add … Read More
3 Ways To Streamline Your Employee Benefits Education
Open enrollment is likely happening now, or it’s right around the corner. Employers, as you help your employees through open enrollment, be sure to provide them with the information they need to make the best decision for themselves and their families. Here are a few ideas for you to help streamline communication to your employee about their benefits package. The … Read More