It’s not your imagination. Healthcare is expensive and costs continue to rise. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, costs increased by almost one trillion dollars between 1996 and 2015. The rise in healthcare costs cannot be attributed exclusively to any one cause. Rather, there are a number of causes that, put together, are responsible for the rise. All of the following, plus more, have a role.
Healthcare costs in the U.S. are at an all-time high, and organizations and individuals are continually looking for ways to reduce the rising costs and maintain affordability in healthcare. With spending levels reaching unsustainable highs, there are ways that employees and employers can work together to reduce the overall healthcare liabilities. As individuals bemoan the reduction in their take-home pay due to healthcare costs and employers find themselves digging deep to support their employees, all parties are looking for options they can explore together.
Open enrollment is over! Time to take a breather after the chaos, right? Not so fast. There are still a lot of tasks on your plate. Research shows that people who like their health plans are more likely to stay with the company. But, many people do not understand the coverage that they have. To help them better understand the benefits that they have available, put this post open enrollment plan into place. 1. Write an email explaining special enrollment periods and when they might apply to employees. In most cases, employees can only enroll in new health coverage during…
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When the Founding Partners opened CoreMark Insurance Services, Inc in 2014, we were determined to build an agency that could make a real difference in the lives of our clients, our employees, and our community. Each founding partner had other opportunities prior to venturing out with the CoreMark brand, but after many soul searching meetings with each other and our families, we realized that we share many of the same core values. Values built on excellence, trust, accountability and professionalism. Those Core values led to choosing the name CoreMark and our EGPP mantra. What is EGPP you ask? It’s our…
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Open enrollment for the new year’s health insurance plans can be one of the most hectic times of year for you and your human resources department. This is the one chance many employees have to make healthcare decision that will affect them all year long. You want to do everything you can to make your enrollment a success for the people who work for you. 1. Start early. The earlier you begin, the smoother your open enrollment process will be. Begin by reviewing your current insurance offerings with your broker, network partner and third-party administrator to assess your current plan’s…
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The #MeToo Movement is proving to have a lasting effect not just on Hollywood, but the legislative landscape for employers in California. New regulatory changes taking effect in 2019 have many employers looking for access to training and resources to navigate the added requirements. The Changes Under SB 1343, employers with 5 or more employees must have all staff complete at least one hour Sexual Harassment Prevention Training and Education by the end of 2019. Employees in supervisory roles will be required to complete at least two hours of training. These requirements are a noted increase from the previous ones in…
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Most human resources professionals aren’t fortunate enough to have a line item in their budget for “Open Enrollment promotion,” so you have to get creative! Having a great enrollment season requires a great deal of dedication and perseverance on the part of the HR and benefits team, and that includes finding free or inexpensive ways to encourage people to enroll early (and correctly) to receive the benefits that your organization provides. We have found that these 5 free tools are extremely effective ways to help employees understand their benefits and make their benefits decisions! 1. Create a Benefits Overview Video…
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Keeping everyone on the same page during your employee benefits enrollment period can be a challenge. From new employees who need to learn the ropes to individuals who are having a difficult time with technology, communication is critical throughout the open enrollment process. Creating an employee benefits enrollment process that works not only for the Human Resources team but also for the rest of the organization requires time and planning to effectively execute. Benefits are an incredibly important part of an employer’s payroll costs, making up approximately 32% of the total payroll. That makes it critically important that open enrollments…
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If there is one thing that you can be sure of, it’s that benefits seasons will continue to roll around — and continue to cause challenges for HR departments everywhere. There are a range of decisions that need to be made each year, and one of the most important is determining how you can improve the process each year and reduce your overall frustration and pain points. You need to select someone that you can trust to be there when you need them. Plus, they must have the best interests of your organization and your employees in mind at…
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What value do you place on your employees? If it’s compensation alone, you are offering no more than any other organization and your picks for new talent will be slim. Job seekers, especially millennials, are seeking out employers who offer more than just a fair wage–they are looking for outstanding, creative, and competitive employee benefits. It’s in the benefits that they are seeing how much an organization truly values those who are behind it. We’ve put together a list of 5 employee benefits that will not only help you attract top talent, but will also increase productivity, profitability, and reduce…
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