With the passage of the recent American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) on February 17, 2009, we wish to provide some helpful information to our clients.  This act places requirements on employers and their insurance carrier regarding employees who were or will be involuntarily terminated during the period September 1, 2008 through December 31, 2009.  

We recommend that you review this information and assure compliance with the above act. It involves the Federal subsidy of 65% of the premium for qualifying individuals and dependents. This premium subsidy is paid by the employer and reimbursed as a credit on the quarterly employment tax return. 

In part, the requirements include:

The notification of employees involuntarily terminated during the period September 1, 2008 through December 31, 2009 of their rights under this act.  This notification is required by April 18, 2009.

·  Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC have advised us that they will be sending notifications to affected individuals...

Managing your health care costs is a major priority, but you also want to be able to provide your employees with the benefits they need. There is a delicate balance between the company budget and the cost of insurance. Voluntary benefits help business owners offer their employees the security they need without breaking the budget. Let’s face it, being able to provide a 100% employer contribution for health, dental, life and disability is no longer a reality for most companies. For this reason companies of all sizes can benefit from the cost sharing options that voluntary benefits provide because they offer…

 

· Lower contribution levels for the employer

· Lower participation requirements for the employees

· Protection from individual underwriting

 

Employees’ have come to expect a level of security through their group benefits and participating in a group medical plan usually helps controls their health expenses. Some benefits packages still include dental and life insurance,...

Who benefits the most from a dental insurance policy? Simply put, you do! Everyone can benefit from a dental policy, whether it is a group plan, individual coverage or voluntary dental, the benefits really do outweigh the costs.