It’s no wonder small businesses are confused when they are told they need to file Form 5500 with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and pay PCORI fees. For instance, if you look up 5500 filing requirements on the Internet, most sites say something like, “Form 5500 is required on behalf of any welfare benefit plan that has 100 or more participants as of the beginning of the plan year or is funded through a trust, regardless of participant count.”

Clear as mud to the average employer, right? WRONG! Let’s break it down.

Direct Primary Care (DPC) is capturing the attention of employers who want to offer better health care coverage to their employees. With DPC, a patient can form a one-on-one relationship with their doctor and have 24/7 access to medical care. DPC has been shown to help provide superior healthcare for individuals, lowering their overall healthcare costs and improving outcomes.

The challenge for employers who want to offer DPC – how to ensure employees are covered for both primary care health services and care the DPC doctor can’t provide.

Article reposted with permission from BenefitsPro. Written by Kelly Smith, Senior Vice President at MVP Health Care.

​Brokers are experiencing an increase in demand for level-funded plans, which are an exciting offering providing predictability, funding diversity and innovation to their portfolio.

The pandemic has had an enormous impact on every aspect of our lives, including the way employees view employee benefits. Employers are having to rethink what kind of perks, benefits and incentives will keep workers engaged and offer a competitive advantage in a post-pandemic world. 

Despite the numerous changes to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), applicable large employers (ALE) must still provide group health benefits to their employees. These benefits must meet at least the minimum standard as set by the federal government or the employer will be required to pay a penalty.

The concept of a Health Savings Accounts (HSA) was established by Congress in 2003 to allow individuals and families to save for and pay for medical expenses with tax preferred money.

The tax preferences are significant. In fact, HSAs are “triple tax” preferred, which means:

1. Money you invest into an account is tax deductible.
2. Money that is in your HSA may be invested and the income from that investment is tax free.
3. Money that is spent from your HSA on qualified medical expenses also is tax free.
   

Would you agree that your employees are the best asset for your small business? Hopefully you answered with a resounding YES! It’s important for employers to encourage healthy habits at the office that lead to good heart health.
 
Building a healthy workplace and workforce has a number of benefits such as: increased productivity, less absenteeism and ample health-spend savings for both employees and employers. Some health plans – like Allied National’s Freedom Plans – even offer a refund at the end of a healthy plan year. 
 
February is American Heart Month and so we came up with five easy ways to keep your employees happy and heart healthy.

Download our infographic at the end of this blog.

Employers looking for an easy, affordable way to add value to their employee benefits packages should consider adding dental and vision benefits to their group health plans.

According to Willis Towers Watson’s 2019/2020 Global Benefits Attitudes Survey, 42% of employees would sacrifice additional pay each month for a more expansive health benefit plan, a sharp increase from 27% in 2013.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has had a profound impact on small group health insurance. Rates have increased significantly as a result of the ACA. These rate increases have been particularly difficult for small groups.

This is where a level-funded health plan could be a good fit for your small business.

The new year is finally here and also a new round of Federal Government COVID relief. Thankfully, there is help available for your small business.

Get ready for round two of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
 
Smaller businesses that did not receive a PPP loan the first time around could begin to apply on Monday, Jan. 11. Those that did receive one of the original loans can apply for a second PPP loan beginning today, Wednesday, Jan. 13, provided they meet eligibility requirements.