Resources

First-Time Manager Faux Pas

Just like a bad Yelp review, most employees can recall a boss (or two) that they would give a low management rating. Maybe it was the boss who didn’t respect their time outside of the office or the one who asked for results with an unreasonably short deadline. Or maybe it was the supervisor ...

The Pomodoro Technique Can You Find More Time with Tomatoes

Who holds the key to time management? Is it your partner who diligently uses a paper planner to chart out all meetings in pencil? Or your boss who devotes the last hour of their day to track and organize projects? Or maybe it’s you? You fire up your laptop hours before your peers so you...

Compliance Recap | July 2021

July 2021 was a quiet month in the benefits industry, largely due to the summer vacation season and the July 4th Independence Day holiday. Importantly, however, the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury, along with the Office of Personnel Management (collectively, ...

ARPA COBRA Premium Assistance IRS Q&A Guidance

On July 26, 2021, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released Notice 2021-46 (Notice) to clarify lingering questions employer plan sponsors and other interested parties have been asking since the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) became law this past March. The Notice supplements prior ...

Music: Should You Whistle While You Work?

It can be difficult to get a group of people to agree on a genre of music to play at work. Classical or pop music? Country or hip hop? And what is the consensus on the volume? What is distracting for some may be motivating for another. Scientists have investigated the link between music and... ...

No Surprise Billing Interim Final Regulations Part 2

On July 1, 2021, the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury, along with the Office of Personnel Management (collectively, the Departments), issued an interim final rule (IFR) to explain provisions of the No Surprises Act (the Act) that passed as part of sweeping ...

Advocacy in Action | Ambulance Bill Audit and Recovery

An ambulance company balance billed the member for $1,787.87. The member did not understand why so they contacted their Patient Advocate for assistance. The Patient Advocate went to work to see how she could help. When checking the insurance plan and benefits, the Patient Advocate learned the ...

IRS Issues Draft Form 1095-C

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently issued the 2021 Draft Form 1095-C, which is required to be filed with the IRS by applicable large employers (ALEs), to report the offer of health coverage to employees. New Codes An ALE that offers an individual coverage health reimbursement ...

Employer Trend: Four-Day Workweek

The topic of workplace flexibility is top of mind as employees recover from an intense adjustment to a coronavirus (COVID-19) work environment. One creative way employers have supported a better work-life balance is by shortening the hours or days in a workweek, so employees have more personal ...

Compliance Recap | June 2021

June 2021 was not a busy month in the benefits industry, largely due to the summer vacation season and the Independence Day holiday. Importantly, however, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). Additionally, the IRS unveiled ...

Brinson Benefits