The IRS has released the 2023 maximum contribution amounts for health savings accounts and flexible spending accounts. You’ll want to make note of the changes when discussing your employee benefits during annual open enrollment. The changes, which the IRS releases in November each year, will affect contribution limits for HSAs, FSAs and 401(k) and other…
Commercial insurance companies are raising rates in most of their lines to account for increasing claims as well as the cost of claims, but another factor is forcing them to increase their rates further: reinsurance. When insurance companies underwrite policies, they will often not retain all of the risk. They will purchase reinsurance, which kicks…
Despite the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau recommending that benchmark rates in California be increased in the last two years, the rates that insurance companies are charging for coverage continue falling. But the party may soon be coming to an end, according to a new report. The California Department of Insurance in fact rejected the…
One of the most difficult aspects of annual open enrollment is reaching workers who are disengaged from the process and never bother signing up for your group health plan and other benefits they could take advantage of. While employers shoot for maximum employee enrollment, there are always those employees who for a multitude of reasons…
A new law will require almost all contractors in California to carry workers’ compensation coverage, regardless of if they have employees or not. According to the author of the bill, State Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, the new law was necessary due to the tendency of many small contractors to claim they have no employees, when…
By now you will know about the rapid uptake in telemedicine after the COVID-19 pandemic drove patients to use virtual appointments with their doctors. While this form of medicine seems like it’s here to stay, there are other technologies that employers can look to include in their group health plans to help employees get the…
Under a new proposal by the California Air Resources Board, all new big rigs and other large trucks sold in the Golden State will have to be zero-emission vehicles, starting in 2040. The proposed rule would bar manufacturers from selling medium- and heavy-duty trucks that run on diesel or gasoline in California, and instead sell…
As health care costs continue rising and employees are being asked to shoulder more of the expense burden, you can help them by offering a tax-advantaged plan that allows them to save for medical expenses. These cafeteria plans, which are governed by Section 125 of the Internal Revenue Service Code, allow your employees to withhold…
Office and commercial building vacancies have exploded since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, leaving many buildings completely empty of tenants or partially occupied. According to the website Statista.com, the average vacancy rate for offices nationwide in the first quarter of 2022 was 12.3%, which is an improvement from 17.4% in the first quarter of 2021. Unfortunately,…
Despite newly enacted federal transparency rules for hospitals and health plans, some large hospitals are still not posting the required price lists for their services, according to a recent report. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ transparency rules were implemented to shine the light on what hospitals charge for their various medical services, the…