Although life insurance is one of the most common employer-provided benefits, many employees do not appreciate its value. As an employer, you are well-positioned to educate employees on the importance of this coverage. What’s in it for you? Educating employees about life insurance can yield higher enrollment, greater appreciation for your benefits package and increased loyalty to the company. Many employees are not financially savvy, but are interested in learning. Financial

Smokeless tobacco is often thought to be safer than smoking, and can even help you quit smoking. The truth is that there is no “safe” kind of tobacco—it is all dangerous to your health, and smokeless tobacco can even get you addicted to smoking instead of helping you quit. Smokeless Tobacco Smokeless tobacco is commonly found in the forms of chewing tobacco and snuff. While snuff may be inhaled through your nose, smokeless tobacco is generally placed between your gums and ch

Employers are responsible for educating their employees about the health coverage options they offer. Employees have the right to receive clearly presented health and benefit information and assistance reading health materials, if needed. More specifically, employers are responsible for informing employees of: What benefits are covered in the offered health plan(s) Cost-sharing requirements and arrangements Procedures for resolving complaints and appealing decisions Licensure

Oral cancer affects more than 40,000 Americans every year, claiming more than 7,000 lives. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is the best way to minimize your chances of developing oral cancer. About the Disease Oral cancer can develop in any part of the oral cavity, but it usually begins in the tongue or the floor of the mouth. It is one of a group of cancers referred to as head and neck cancer. When oral cancer spreads (metastasizes), it usually travels through the lymphatic

Overview The IRS Office of Chief Counsel recently released an information letter regarding the employer shared responsibility (pay or play) penalties under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This information letter confirms that the pay or play penalties continue to apply for applicable large employers (ALEs) that fail to offer acceptable health coverage to their full-time employees (and dependents). The information letter also: Indicates that the law does not provide for any wai

Vision benefits are often overlooked in a typical benefits package, but they can be incredibly beneficial to employees. Offering your employees vision insurance can encourage necessary eye care and help supplement costs for vision needs. In addition, regular eye doctor visits can identify otherwise unknown medical problems, helping to lower cost and improve treatment when those problems are caught early on. Benefits of Group Vision Insurance The following are advantages to o

The personal electronic devices that help make your daily life easier may be doing the opposite in regard to your nightly sleep habits. If you’re having a hard time falling and staying asleep, devices like your cellphone, TV and tablet may be to blame. Photo by Matthew T Rader on Unsplash The Negative Effects Researchers at Harvard identified three main ways that using your phone, or any electronic device, before going to bed can derail your sleep schedule: Melatonin suppres

Back pain can range from a dull, constant ache to a sudden, sharp pain that causes incapacitation. It can come on suddenly—from an accident, a fall or lifting something too heavy—or it can develop slowly, perhaps as the result of age-related changes to the spine. Risk Factors and Causes Anyone can experience back pain. There are risk factors that can increase the chances of developing acute or chronic back pain: Age – Back pain becomes more common with older age. Fitness lev

Overview The Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and the Treasury (Departments) have finalized resources to promote compliance with the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA). MHPAEA requires parity between mental health and substance use disorder (MH/SUD) benefits and medical and surgical benefits. These resources include: Final FAQs on mental health parity; A final model form that plan participants may use to request information about their MH/S

The typical employee’s desk has more bacteria per square inch than an office toilet seat. If that's not disturbing enough, desks, phones and other private surfaces are also prime habitats for the viruses and bacteria that cause colds, the flu, strep throat, pneumonia and other illnesses. Germs are bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites. Not all will cause disease, but many are bad news in the workplace, as some can live from 2 to 72 hours or more on hard surfaces. Germs are t