August 10, 2026
Compliance Brief | August 2026
DOL Proposes New, Additional Electronic Delivery Safe Harbor for Group Health Plans The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has proposed a new optional electronic disclosure safe harbor that would expand the way ERISA-covered group health plans provide required notices and disclosures to ...
July 27, 2026
Turning 65: Why HR Should Flag This Milestone Before It Arrives
For most employees, turning 65 means one thing: Medicare eligibility. But what many don’t realize is that this milestone can carry real consequences if it isn’t planned for — and as their employer, you’re often the first line of defense against costly surprises. Why This ...
July 23, 2026
Advocacy in Action | Prescription Appeal Assistance
A member was having a problem filling a brand name prescription medication she had been taking for the last 4 years. A formulary pharmacy benefit change had been made to the insurance plan and the cost of the brand name prescription medication had risen several hundred dollars. Because of the ...
July 21, 2026
Employee Benefits | Employee Financial Wellbeing as a Retention Strategy
For years, employee financial wellbeing meant helping workers prepare for retirement. Today, that definition is expanding. Employees are navigating higher living costs, student loan debt, rising healthcare expenses, and economic uncertainty while trying to save for both short- and long-term ...
July 14, 2026
Workplace Culture | Reducing Workplace Friction Before It Becomes Burnout
Burnout is often treated as an employee wellbeing issue. In reality, it frequently begins as an operational issue. Employees rarely burn out because of one exceptionally busy week. More often, burnout develops after months of navigating unnecessary complexity, duplicative processes, unclear ...
July 8, 2026
Compliance Brief | July 2026
Understanding the Medical Loss Ratio When employers purchase fully insured health coverage, they expect premium dollars to be used primarily for employee health care, not excessive administrative costs or insurer profits. One of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) lesser-known consumer ...
July 7, 2026
Dear HR Manager | Supporting Financial Wellbeing, Not Advising
How can we support employees’ financial wellbeing without becoming their financial advisor? – Supporting, Not Advising Dear Supporting, Not Advising, This is a concern many employers share, and the distinction is an important one. HR should focus on providing education, access, and ...
June 18, 2026
Advocacy in Action | Auditing Claims and Facilitating Refunds
A member contacted his Patient Advocate to request an audit of his eye surgery claims. He felt he might have paid the doctors too much. The Patient Advocate reviewed the bills and EOB’s and discovered that the member had definitely overpaid the surgeon by over $800. The Patient Advocate ...
June 16, 2026
Dear HR Manager | Encouraging Participation without Pressure
Our organization offers several wellness and mental health resources, but employee utilization remains low. How can we encourage participation without making employees feel pressured or invading their privacy? – Committed to Supporting Employees Dear Committed: Low utilization doesn’t ...
June 12, 2026
IRS Releases 2027 Limits for HDHPs and HSAs
The IRS recently issued Revenue Procedure 2026-24 in which it announced the 2027 inflation-adjusted amounts that apply to health savings accounts (HSAs), excepted benefit health reimbursement arrangements (EBHRAs), and high-deductible health plans (HDHPs). The newly announced figures result in ...
