Blog
The Bystander Effect and the Employee Benefits Broker
I’m pretty sure everyone has at least heard of the show Seinfeld. Do we remember the finale of the series? The gang ends up arrested, imprisoned, and go through a trial as a result of a duty to rescue violation that requires bystander to help out in such a situation. To remind you of the…
Read MoreBenefits that Benefit All
As a relatively new entrant into the workforce, I feel confident expressing that there are opportunities for improvement when it comes to benefit plans and the consideration and impact on current and future generations – specifically, health plans. (And of course, I feel confident expressing myself. As a millennial, I’ve been told that I’m allowed…
Read MoreYour employees are wasting $12.49 a day by not shopping for healthcare
Let’s face it, we’re all frustrated by increasing out-of-pocket healthcare expenses. We spend more on premiums, for less coverage, and hope that an unexpected medical claim doesn’t financially ruin us. Pricing in healthcare is not transparent like other markets where consumers can easily determine the price of something before they buy it. It would be…
Read MoreIs a health savings account (HSA) better than a 401(k)? You decide.
I have written about the virtues of HSAs before. But never did it become so clear to me that HSAs can be better than other retirement accounts such as 401(k) and IRA (I had a hunch, though). HSAs have been around since 2003; yet, in my opinion, the HSA is the most misunderstood, the most…
Read MoreI’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!
A friend of mine owns three wellness centers and employs 80 people. Yesterday, she told me that her health insurance broker made his yearly visit with a renewal policy where the premiums keep going up … and up … and up. In the decade she has been in business, premiums have never gone down. And…
Read MoreScared of high-deductible health plans (HDHPs)? You shouldn’t be. Here’s why.
For no good reason, HDHP has become a dirty four-letter acronym for healthcare consumers. The WebMD article, “Why Your Employees Are Afraid of Your High-Deductible Health Plan (HDHP)—And What You Can Do About It”, by Christine Muldoon, Senior Director of Health Plan Market Strategy, may be from 2013, but it’s even more relevant today, as…
Read MoreCost, quality, and your healthcare—a story about relationships
Cost and quality—they’re always related right? Well, usually. Sometimes we buy the cheaper good or service when we’re looking to save money, understanding the trade off is often quality. We might buy a hamburger at a fast food joint for $2 instead of spending $10 at the local pub. The same goes when we’re buying…
Read MoreDon’t really know what a health savings account is? Then you’re way overdue to fire your broker!
In my travels, I ask many community and business leaders if their health insurance plans include a health savings account (HSA). “Yes, I think so” is the most common answer I get, but that is quickly followed by “that’s the thing where we have to predict what our out-of-pocket spending might be for the year…
Read MoreDon’t have an HSA? Here’s why you need one.
Since their creation as “tax-advantaged” accounts by Congress in 2003, the prevalence of health savings accounts (HSA) has been growing steadily despite the reality that the health insurance industry doesn’t like them. Even with the industry floating “Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt” (a.k.a. FUD-factor), consumers are starting to see the light when it comes to high…
Read MoreNot happy about your salary increases (or lack thereof) over the past decade? You might want to blame it on healthcare.
While many factors may be contributing to the lack of salary increases in America, have you considered that one of the biggest culprits might be the rising cost of healthcare? In the past decade alone, health insurance premiums for families have risen 73%, dramatically outpacing increases in family income (read more here about the study…
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