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Alpha e-News Update
April 2014
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The Alpha Group Agency
4200 Rockside Road, Suite 300
Independence, Ohio 44131
216-520-3300 |
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| Health Reform Regulations |
Determining a Health Plan's "Plan Year"
Employer-sponsored health plans are subject to a variety of compliance requirements, including those included in the ACA. Many of these requirements are linked to a health plan's "plan year". It is important for an employer to identify its health plan's "plan year" for purposes of monitoring its compliance obligations under the ACA and other federal laws. Read Legislative Brief |
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 Know Your Benefits
Know Your Options
More and more employers are offering consumer-driven health care options, but too often they aren't explaining them to employees. So few employees take advantage of the opportunities presented. This is most common (and perhaps most tragic) when it comes to health reimbursement accounts (HRAs). View Article
Don't forget, Alpha has an inhouse Consumer Driven Health Care representative, Steve Orlando, who can help you and your employee's understand the nuances of an HRA, HSA, and FSA plans.
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Level Funding
If you desire the freedom of a self-funded insurance plan but need a little more certainty for your budgeting concerns, level funding might be an option for you. Weigh the advantages and disadvantages and decide what's best for your company. View Article
Talk to your Alpha Benefits Advisor/Broker to get more information on Level Funding.
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Congratulations to Alcon Tool - Recipient of ERC's Biggest Stride Award
 | | Charles Rankin, CEO of Alcon Tool with Carla Ivka, Alpha's Wellness Program Coordinator |
Three cheers to our client Alcon Tool for earning the Biggest Stride Award at this year's annual ERC pre-renewal meeting. Charles Rankin, CEO is a big advocate for the ERC Health program and accepted the award this past Tuesday. Read More |
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 Vacation Therapy:
Are you getting an adequate dose?
According to Psychology Today, Americans work 100 more hours per year than the Japanese, and up to three months more a year than Europeans. Yet, the United States is the only country that does not mandate paid vacation leave, whereas Europeans average six weeks of paid vacation annually. In fact, the right to an annual vacation at a minimum duration is mandated by law in 78 countries around the globe - with penalties for deferring vacation.
View Article
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LIVE WELL, WORK WELL
Please download and print or email this month's LIVE WELL, WORK WELL Newsletter for your employees! This month's topics include:
- April is Awareness Month for Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Budget Tools: Make it Easy
- Rescue Old Produce
- National Park Week
- Baked Trout
Download Live Well, Work Well - April Issue
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Explaining Disability Benefits: Research Shows HR Needs to Do More
If your organization offers disability insurance, what do your employees actually know about these benefits? The answer could be far less than you think." View Article
Sean Nehlsen of AlphaHR is always available to our clients for questions, clarification and general HR help.
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 Family-Friendly Work Options All Employees Can Use
Companies often tout themselves as being family-friendly, but are they really if their family-friendly policies only benefits married couples or employees raising children? Read here for more information. View Article
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Enforcement Programs Aimed at Small Businesses
Small businesses spend an average of $74 an hour to comply with the lengthy and complex federal tax code. Despite these efforts, certain business practices could attract unwanted attention from the Internal Revenue Service. View Article
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Wake-Up Smoothie
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups orange juice, preferably calcium-fortified
1 banana
1 1/4 cups frozen berries, such as raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and/or strawberries
1/2 cup low-fat tofu, or low-fat yogurt
1 Tablespoon sugar, or Splenda Granular (optional)
Combine all ingredients in a blender; cover and blend until creamy. Serve immediately.
Download Recipe
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Did You Know?
Under the Affordable Care Act, cost-sharing limits for health plans are updated annually. On March 5, the Department of Health and Human Services published rules establishing the cost-sharing limits for 2015.
The annual deductible for a health plan in the small group market for 2015 may not exceed $2,050 for self-only coverage and $4,100 for family coverage (although an exception allows higher deductibles in some cases), and the annual out-of-pocket maximum cannot exceed $6,600 for self-only coverage and $13,200 for family coverage.
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Alpha News
Find past issues of
Alpha's eNews Update
and search our entire library of news items on our website.
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Health Exchange Enrollment
Individual and Family Plan Open Enrollment Ends on March 31, 2014.
Alpha's certified staff members can assist in reviewing plan designs and rates from several carriers, provide information on subsidies and tax credits, and help enroll.
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Online Benefits Portals for Your Employees
Save Time While Empowering Your Employees
Reduce the time HR personnel have to spend providing employees with routine HR information, sending basic forms, and answering day-to-day HR questions. With a personalized portal all of that information is available to employees online 24/7 through their own secure log-in.
Highlights
- 24/7 access to benefits information online
- Educate employees on their benefits plans with dynamic plan tours
- Improve HR productivity by making important HR information and forms available online
- Give employees access to unbiased and credible health information and tools
- Create a culture of wellness through health management tools
Alpha builds and maintains these sites for our clients. Contact your Alpha Broker, Account Manager, or
Diane Brady for pricing information and to schedule a demo.
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Alpha Benefits, Inc. / Alpha Financial Services, Inc. / Alpha Property & Casualty, Inc. / AlphaHR, LLC.
Stability in an ever-changing environment.
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