Measles Outbreak Expands: What You Need to Know

More than 465 people from 19 states—the majority of whom are children—have been infected by the measles in the United States this year. This outbreak is now the second-highest total number of cases since the disease was declared eliminated in the United States almost 20 years ago, and it’s only April. 

Think your employee is faking sickness? Here’s what you can do

Your employee’s gout flared up, so they took the day off using intermittent medical leave. Later on, a photo of the same employee sliding into home base surfaces on social media that day. How do you find out if the employee was misusing FMLA leave?

Illinois Civil Union and Domestic Partnership Laws

A domestic partnership is an interpersonal relationship between two adults (of the same sex or opposite sex) who live together and share a domestic life but are not married to each other. At the federal level, there are no laws that provide legal rights to unmarried couples in domestic partnerships. Although a domestic partnership is similar to marriage in many respects, federal law does not give domestic partners the same rights and responsibilities that are provided to married couples.

Flex-Ed: The most-common FSA card misconceptions

FSA cards make life easier. With an FSA debit card, you no longer need to remember to file paperwork and wait for your purchases to be approved. Instead, you can access the money in your flexible spending account when you need it.

Here's how it works—you've been shopping online for qualified health related items and are finally ready to checkout. With an FSA card, the process is easy. You enter your FSA debit card information like you would with any other debit card and the funds are automatically deducted from your account. It really is that simple.

But here's the deal: even though FSA debit cards are easy to use, there are still some misconceptions about how to use them. Here are six of the most-common FSA card misunderstandings and how to avoid them.

Return to Work Wages

What do I pay a worker on modified duty?

Handling a DOL Audit with Ease

At any given time, your organization may be selected for a U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) civil investigation (commonly known as an audit) to ensure that your employee benefit plans are in compliance. The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) establishes standards governing the operation of employee benefit plans and grants the DOL investigative authority.

Traditionally, DOL audits of employee benefit plans have focused primarily on retirement plans, such as 401(k) plans. However, now that the DOL has started enforcing compliance with the Affordable Care Act (ACA), health plan audits are on the rise.

Depending on the complexity of your plan design, availability of documents, degree of cooperation between the DOL and your plan administrators, and the number of potential violations, an audit can take anywhere from several weeks to over a year.

To improve healthcare, employers must move beyond the bottom line

WASHINGTON — When Mark Ganz, president and CEO of Cambia Health — a nonprofit healthcare company — took to the stage at the National Business Group on Health’s annual conference, he had a message for the benefits managers in the audience: Pay more attention to employees, and less to the bottom line.

Excess Flood Coverage for Homeowners

Floods are one of the most common and costliest home hazards, as even minor water damage can destroy a property. While the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) can help cover flood damage, it may not cover all of your flood risks.

Purchase Eligible Products on Amazon with Your HSA or FSA

Online retailer Amazon recently announced that you can now use your flexible spending account (FSA) or health savings account (HSA) to purchase eligible medical products on its site. Amazon’s FSA and HSA stores enable you to add your respective health payment card to the site and shop for your eligible products as you would shop for any other item.