Question: Our employee with a disability has asked to bring his service dog to work, but we have two employees in the office who are allergic to dogs. What can we do to accommodate everyone’s needs? Answer: According to the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), if the service animal has been trained to help with … Continued
Preexisting conditions. While it’s no doubt this term has been a hot topic in recent months—and notably misconstrued—one thing has not changed; insurers cannot deny coverage to anyone with a preexisting condition. Now that House Resolution 1628 has moved to the Senate floor, what can employers and individuals alike expect? If passed by the Senate … Continued
This morning, Senate Republicans released their proposal to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Called the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017 (BCRA), the Senate proposal adopts H.R. 1628, the bill narrowly passed last month by the House of Representatives, but replaces all the text. The Senate proposal was released without going through … Continued
With the official start of summer just around the corner, many companies are planning company picnics, barbecues, and outings to celebrate the season. The good news is that these events are a great opportunity to thank employees for hard work and to encourage them to mingle outside of the normal work setting. The less fun … Continued
Question: What options does an employer have when an employee who had a work-related accident keeping him off work for four months and exhausting the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave refuses to participate in a return-to-work program assignment that provides light duty work as required by the employee’s physician? Answer: An employer may want … Continued
Do you offer coverage to your employees through a self-insured group health plan? Do you sponsor a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA)? If so, do you know whether your plan or HRA is subject to the annual Patient-Centered Research Outcomes Institute (PCORI) fee? This article answers frequently-asked questions about the PCORI fee, which plans are affected, … Continued
With all the expenses of everyday living, it’s tempting to think of insurance as just another cost. What’s harder to see is the potential cost of not buying insurance—or what’s known as “self-insuring”—and the hidden bargain of coverage. The Important vs. the Urgent We’ve all experienced it: the tendency to stay focused on putting out … Continued
Employers are required to give all new hires a Notice of Marketplace Coverage Options – often referred to as the Employer Exchange Notice. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) provides model notices that employers can download, customize, and distribute to workers. Although the model notices were scheduled to expire May 31, 2017, the DOL has … Continued
Question: We are a small company—40 employees. Are there policies we should have in place for cybersecurity? Can we make employee training on cybersecurity mandatory? Answer: Companies of all sizes are smart to be concerned about cybersecurity, especially in light of the recent WannaCry ransomware attack. There are steps you can take to reduce the risks … Continued
In an editorial in the Wall Street Journal yesterday, Department of Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta stated that the DOL’s fiduciary rule will become effective June 9, 2017. “We have carefully considered the record in this case, and the requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act, and have found no principled legal basis to change the June … Continued
Securities offered through Registered Representatives of Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a broker-dealer, member FINRA www.finra.org / SIPC www.sipc.org, to residents of: DC, FL, MD, NJ, NY, OH, PA, SC, TX, CA, CO, GA, and OK. Advisory services through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Adviser. Webber Advisors and the Leavitt Group are not affiliated with Cambridge. Fixed insurance and benefit services are not offered through Cambridge.
Testimonials provided are related to insurance and employee benefit services.
