Benefit Strategies

Tools to Manage Rising Premiums

October 31st, 2019

“A far more effective approach is defined contribution. An employer offers a flat contribution to each employee . . . When employees pay the entire difference in premiums, they tend to choose the less-costly plan. And employers can set their budgets well in advance, since they’ve fixed their cost per employee.” William G. (Bill) Stuart […]

Exploring the ICHRA, Part II

July 10th, 2019

“ICHRAs alter the distribution model from wholesale (employer-sponsored, or group, coverage) to retail (nongroup coverage). It’s far more efficient and less costly for insurers to make a sale to one group of 100 employees than to four groups of 25. Changing the ratio of group to nongroup sales alters not only cost structure, but also […]

Exploring the ICHRA, Part I

June 27th, 2019

“But what happens when the company no longer sponsors insurance, but rather provides a stipend? Employees need to know where to go to find coverage.” William G. (Bill) Stuart Director of Strategy and Compliance June 28, 2019 Earlier this month, the Trump administration issued guidance establishing two new HRAs – the Individual Coverage HRA […]

Solving a Small Businessman’s Coverage Dilemma

September 20th, 2018

“This is the ultimate twofer. With as little as one month’s coverage in 2018, they can make the full $6,900 family contribution for 2018 (and they have until April 15, 2019, to deposit the funds), then turn around Jan. 1 and place another $7,000 in their HSAs.” William G. (Bill) Stuart Director of Strategy and […]

Cadillac Tax Back in the Cross Hairs

December 7th, 2017

“Employers have no control over the amounts (other than to limit them altogether) that individual employees find necessary to meet their medical, dental and vision needs in a given year. Rational employers will terminate Health FSA and HSA programs if they must pay a tax equal to 40% of the total value of contributions into […]

HRA or HSA?

June 8th, 2017

“These companies need to calculate the cost of not attracting potentially valuable candidates or losing employees who add the greatest value to the company. Those costs typically are measured in tens of thousands of dollars. The HRA vs. HSA decision should be made in this larger context.” William G. (Bill) Stuart Director of Strategy and […]

My Experiences on the Hill

March 2nd, 2017

An employer isn’t going to continue a program that saves an employee between 22% and 38% in taxes if the employer has to pay a 40% excise tax on that money. For a family with a $2,600 Health FSA contribution, that means a tax increase of $600 to $900 annually. By William G. (Bill) Stuart […]

The QSEHRA Opportunity

January 19th, 2017

President Obama signs the 21st Century Cures Act. Employers: Are you willing to share your expertise with other benefits professionals? Healthcare Trends Institute, a leader in analyzing and disseminating information about employee benefits, is seeking input. You can find more information and the link to a five-minute survey here. “QSEHRAs give employers a fourth option: […]

Where Are Accounts Headed?

December 9th, 2016

By William G. (Bill) Stuart Director of Strategy and Compliance December 9, 2016 A business colleague recently called me to secure some information for his annual white paper on the reimbursement industry. He asked me questions about the future of Health FSAs, HRAs and HSAs. Here are the thoughts that I shared with him: Overall […]

Category: HRAs