Exploring Healthcare Spending Accounts (HSA’s)
A Healthcare Spending Account (HSA) is an employee benefit that differs from the traditional fully insured plans that many of us are accustomed to. Generally speaking, the company (aka plan sponsor) would select an amount of coverage that would be offered to all employees, or all employees within a specific class (ie. Management, executives etc). […]
Group Benefits vs. Salary Increase
This is a debate we see quite often amongst small businesses and their employees. With many employees at different stages of their lives,all with different priorities, the debate can often be a difficult one, leaving some employees feeling as though they’ve lost out. Either way, it’s important for employees to understand the value of a […]
3 Simple Ways to Control Claims on your Employee Benefits Plan
Education – communicate with your employees to ensure they understand their benefits and how the plan works. Many employees don’t realize that high claims or abuse of the plan will increase costs for everyone. A lunch and learn hosted by your broker can be a simple strategy to accomplish this. Prescription drugs – prescription drug claims account […]
Learning to Breathe Easier
Susan is the office manager of a busy real estate firm. She has a six-year old daughter Emily, with severe asthma. Susan worries about Emily’s health and the family finances. Emily takes a daily asthma controller but the constant expense of medication adds to Susan’s concerns about making ends meet. Her husband, Jeff, is going […]
Top 5 Mistakes Business Owners Make when it comes to employee benefits
Employee benefits are an important part of the compensation package for any employee. Today, more than ever, employees expect valuable benefits that are competitive with those offered by other companies operating in your market. Most candidates will ask about your employee benefits offering in the interview process, and not having a plan can impact your […]
Disability Insurance – Protecting your greatest asset
Why disability insurance? We get this question often. The truth is that disability insurance is one of the most important types of insurance available. After all, it protects your greatest asset; your ability to earn an income. Unfortunately, government sponsored programs such as CPP and EI just don’t provide the level of disability coverage […]
Spring Cleaning Tips…For Your Employee Benefits Plan
4 simple ways to keep your employee benefits plan onside and up to date. Time flies. With so many other priorities and distractions, it’s easy to miss making changes to your employee benefits plan. But many changes to your benefits plan are time sensitive, so it’s important that you spend the time to ensure your […]
3 things you need to know BEFORE buying employee benefits (or changing your provider)
Select one broker. Contacting multiple agents for quotes and opinions doesn’t always help. It can actually create more confusion than it’s worth. It can be difficult to compare quotes from multiple agents because it is likely that there will be differences in the packages that they propose. Did you know? Each insurance company will […]
Join your local Chamber or Board of Trade, and Grow your Business
Do you want to grow your business? One of the first steps to growing your business is partnering with your local Chamber of Commerce or Board of Trade. I can honestly say first hand that I have seen businesses grow by getting involved, by getting involved in the community and connecting with other businesses. There are so […]
Generic Drugs. Are they really the same?
Generic drugs are often touted as money-‐saving options, a valuable way to keep health care affordable for all stakeholders – including employees, employers, insurance companies and the government. But there’s a lot of confusion about how a generic stacks up against an originator, or brand name, drug. A generic drug is a copy of a […]