If you received a wave of “We’ve Updated Our Privacy Policy” e-mails recently, here’s why: California just passed the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 affording California residents unprecedented, expansive data privacy rights. While the act, effective Jan. 1, 2020, is broadly applicable to qualifying businesses, employers should pay special attention to their duties under […]
Author: Michael Rubenstein
How Important Are Employee Handbooks?
Very important! Not only do they reflect a company’s culture and values but they also communicate important policies and procedures, and can even help shield employers from litigation. Examples of topics that effective employee handbooks cover include: Anti-discrimination policies- Handbooks should include a section on sexual harassment, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and equal […]
More employees opt for high-deductible health plans over traditional plans
High-deductible health plans are gaining ground on traditional insurance plans, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Over the past 10 years, adults aged 18 – 64 with employment-based coverage have increasingly opted for high-deductible health plans both with and without health savings accounts. The percentage of adults enrolled […]
The HSA opportunity clients miss
Odds are your clients are struggling with higher insurance costs and worried about incurring any future medical bills. Here’s one option advisors can help them explore: health savings accounts. These accounts, which are offered in combination with high-deductible health insurance plans, provide a unique opportunity for clients to save. Better still, they afford triple tax […]
Trump Administration allows for longer ‘short-term’ healthcare policies
The Trump Administration issued the Short-Term, Limited-Duration Insurance Final Rule that expands the coverage length of “short-term, limited-duration insurance” policies under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The Final Rule allows individuals to buy short-term insurance policies for coverage periods of up to 12 months — four times the length of the previous three-month cap — […]
California Supreme Court: Employers are on the hook for certain off-the-clock work
The California Supreme Court last week issued an opinion concluding that Starbucks must pay its employees for off-the-clock duties that take several minutes per shift. In issuing its opinion, the Court rejected the coffee giant’s request to invoke a federal wage rule (known as the de minimis doctrine) that excuses employers from paying employees for […]
Everything small employers need to know about association health plans
The California Supreme Court last week issued an opinion concluding that Starbucks must pay its employees for off-the-clock duties that take several minutes per shift. In issuing its opinion, the Court rejected the coffee giant’s request to invoke a federal wage rule (known as the de minimis doctrine) that excuses employers from paying employees for […]
Healthcare under Trump: Where the ACA stands now
A year and a half into Donald Trump’s presidency, the Commander in Chief and his administration have made a strong effort to convert on his campaign promise to alter and even eliminate the Affordable Care Act. We watched a political soap opera play out in 2017 as a Republican House and Senate ultimately failed to […]
What the ACA means for today’s employers
We all know that employers do not like uncertainty in their business plans. It makes it hard to develop a strategy and run any business. Since 2010 with the full-throated implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) it is apparent that the one constant during the summer months is that employers spend a tremendous amount […]
3 things employers need to know about Congress’ effort to expand HSAs
Health savings accounts are at the top of the health policy agenda as Congress grapples with how to rein in ever-rising costs. House and Senate committees have held several hearings over the past few months on how to expand HSAs and update the rules, and House on Wednesday just passed two healthcare bills containing a broad array […]