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    <title>MBA News - Benefits</title>
    <link>http://www.mbahro.com/Default.aspx?TabId=110&amp;rssid=1&amp;categoryid=18</link>
    <description>Benefits</description>
    <ttl>60</ttl>
    <language>en-US</language>
    <generator>SunBlogNuke RSS Generator Version 4.7.2.0</generator>
    <pubDate>Sun, 05 Feb 2012 03:30:45 GMT</pubDate>
    <lastBuildDate>Sun, 05 Feb 2012 03:30:45 GMT</lastBuildDate>
    <item>
      <title>Are your Finance and Human Resource departments working together? They might be soon.</title>
      <category domain="http://www.mbahro.com/news/tabid/110/categoryid/18/default.aspx">Benefits</category>
      <link>http://mbahro.com/News/tabid/110/entryid/522/Are-your-Finance-and-Human-Resource-departments-working-together-They-might-be-soon.aspx</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Traditionally, the HR department is seen as a necessary expense, but recently finance departments are taking a more active role in areas traditionally exclusive to HR. A recent survey by Towers Watson and Forbes Insights offers some data points on why this is happening. Over 300 HR and financial executives were surveyed during the research.
Though finance executive agreed that setting the strategy for reward program was usually handled by the HR department, most of the financial executives indicated that they have become more involved in the budgeting of those programs.
The survey also polled the future expectations of the financial executives. These questions indicated that a full one-third of the financial executives thought their role in the reward program strategy development will continue to expand and half now expect to have primary responsibility for the rewards programs in the near future.
The majority of both the HR and finance executives felt their companies are lagging behind their competitors i ...]]></description>
      <dc:creator>MBAHRO</dc:creator>
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      <pubDate>Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:09:00 GMT</pubDate>
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      <title>Tuition reimbursement programs should be communicated as an important benefit.</title>
      <category domain="http://www.mbahro.com/news/tabid/110/categoryid/18/default.aspx">Benefits</category>
      <link>http://mbahro.com/News/tabid/110/entryid/523/Tuition-reimbursement-programs-should-be-communicated-as-an-important-benefit.aspx</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Recent research published by Bersin and Associates Research illustrates the mismatch between your efforts to develop your employees and their own personal goals. Over  80% of companies offer tuition assistance.
Many of the big companies (over 10,000 employees) spent upwards of $3,700 per year per employee on tuition reimbursements. But, over a quarter of the companies surveyed do not measure the effectiveness of their tuition assistance program in any way, possibly due to the view that tuition reimbursement is sacred and considered a standard benefit. The attitude seems to be, “If we’re going to offer it anyway, what’s the point in measuring it?”
Common participation rates for engaged companies are as high as 10% of the workforce, while other companies hover as low as 1% participation. As more employees utilize the program, the overall visibility and perceived value of the program goes up.
As a business owner, you can help with the participation of the tuition reimbursement programs ...]]></description>
      <dc:creator>MBAHRO</dc:creator>
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      <pubDate>Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:26:00 GMT</pubDate>
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      <title>Preventative Wellness Programs can save you big bucks</title>
      <category domain="http://www.mbahro.com/news/tabid/110/categoryid/18/default.aspx">Benefits</category>
      <link>http://mbahro.com/News/tabid/110/entryid/508/Preventative-Wellness-Programs-can-save-you-big-bucks.aspx</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Recently, the wave of support for preventative wellness programs has begun to change the conversation about whether its financially beneficial to offer them.
Financial executives in companies have traditionally been wary of supporting preventative wellness program due to the lack of data and information explaining the return on their investment in those kinds of benefits. 
In recent years, the data is now coming together to help gather support for wellness programs as a good investment.
Traditional healthcare is frequently seen as a reactionary process to healing ailments. Whereas wellness programs emphasize elements that prevent illness, like specific diets, weight loss programs, and health screenings to identify trouble before it gets worse.
Proponents for wellness programs frequently focus on heart health, stating lower levels of blood pressure and cholesterol. This, they say, helps to prevent hospital stays, work loss, and prescriptions.
The wellness program screenings help employees become informed  ...]]></description>
      <dc:creator>MBAHRO</dc:creator>
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      <pubDate>Thu, 29 Dec 2011 23:15:00 GMT</pubDate>
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      <title>Two possible major changes to how 401(k) plans operate</title>
      <category domain="http://www.mbahro.com/news/tabid/110/categoryid/18/default.aspx">Benefits</category>
      <link>http://mbahro.com/News/tabid/110/entryid/506/Two-possible-major-changes-to-how-401-k-plans-operate.aspx</link>
      <description><![CDATA[In an effort cut federal the deficit, 401(k) plans are being targeted for changes.
Historically, the employers’ and employees’ contributions to 401(k) plans have been sheltered from taxation. Then, down the road, as employees take withdraws from their accounts during retirement, they are taxed on the withdraws.
The first proposal has assumed the nickname of the “20/20 cap”. This would limit employer and employee contributions to 401(k) plans to $20,000 or 20 percent of an employee’s salary, on an annual basis. The plan creates the cap at whichever limit is reached first. Currently, under law, the limits are $49,000 or 100 percent of a worker’s salary.
Supporters of this plan direct attention to the concept of limited high-income employees from gaining a much larger tax advantage than lower income employees that never get near the $49,000 limit. Supporters emphasize “leveling the playing field”.
The other concept aims at ending the tax decoctions for 401(k) p ...]]></description>
      <dc:creator>MBAHRO</dc:creator>
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      <pubDate>Mon, 26 Dec 2011 00:50:00 GMT</pubDate>
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      <title>Granting longer leaves for maternity can add dangerous complications</title>
      <category domain="http://www.mbahro.com/news/tabid/110/categoryid/18/default.aspx">Benefits</category>
      <category domain="http://www.mbahro.com/news/tabid/110/categoryid/8/default.aspx">HR Outsourcing</category>
      <category domain="http://www.mbahro.com/news/tabid/110/categoryid/20/default.aspx">Risk Management</category>
      <link>http://mbahro.com/News/tabid/110/entryid/504/Granting-longer-leaves-for-maternity-can-add-dangerous-complications.aspx</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Granting longer leaves for maternity or disability can add dangerous complications for your employees and your HR staff responsible for communications with employees.
The key is to understand the FMLA timelines. Under FMLA, employees are eligible to take 12 weeks of maternity leave. If your company offers a leave period longer than those 12 weeks, it creates a dangerous time gap.
If your company health plan is self-funded, you probably have a reinsurance policy in place to limit your company risk. The reinsurer’s policies are most likely modeled around the 12 week maternity leave time limits. So, if your employee takes more leave and amasses more medical bills outside of that 12 week FMLA window, but inside your company’s longer leave policy, then the issue of insurance coverage for those medical bills arises. This happens if the employee gets to the end of the 12 week FMLA coverage window and then takes short-term disability. The reinsurer may reject the notion that it has obligation to those m ...]]></description>
      <dc:creator>MBAHRO</dc:creator>
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      <pubDate>Wed, 21 Dec 2011 02:52:00 GMT</pubDate>
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    <item>
      <title>Providing pre-tax dollars for employee commutes can be a great benefit</title>
      <category domain="http://www.mbahro.com/news/tabid/110/categoryid/18/default.aspx">Benefits</category>
      <category domain="http://www.mbahro.com/news/tabid/110/categoryid/8/default.aspx">HR Outsourcing</category>
      <link>http://mbahro.com/News/tabid/110/entryid/502/Providing-pre-tax-dollars-for-employee-commutes-can-be-a-great-benefit.aspx</link>
      <description><![CDATA[
25 years ago, commuter benefits began to immerge in legislation and tax codes. The general goal of these changes was  to reduce the number of single occupancy vehicles commuting every day. The 2010 Commuter Benefit Impact Survey reports that companies that avoid offering tax-free commuter benefits have half as many nonsingle-occupancy-vehicle commuters as companies that do offer the benefit. This indicates that offering tax-free benefits to employees does work to encourage the use of public transportation and carpooling.

The survey goes on to state that 75 percent of companies thing they should support the use of public transportation. The key factor in this directive is to ease an employee’s commute costs. In addition, the companies state these kinds of benefits enhance their overall benefits packages, which helps with recruiting and retention.
The Revenue Code, commonly called “commuter benefits”, allows youremployees to spend up to $230 per month in pretax dollars for transit and va ...]]></description>
      <dc:creator>MBAHRO</dc:creator>
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      <pubDate>Tue, 20 Dec 2011 00:10:00 GMT</pubDate>
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      <title>Business owners are backing 401(k) plans again.</title>
      <category domain="http://www.mbahro.com/news/tabid/110/categoryid/18/default.aspx">Benefits</category>
      <link>http://mbahro.com/News/tabid/110/entryid/496/Business-owners-are-backing-401-k-plans-again.aspx</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Around 2008, many companies were beginning to reduce their support of 401(k) plans due to financial uncertainty. A recent survey by the PSCA shows a growing trend to re-instate plans again. According to the survey, over 50% of the plans that stopped their employee matching contribution, have started matching again. Though this is encouraging news regarding confidence in the marketplace, almost 14% of all the 401(k) plans since 2008 have not restored their contributions.

Investment choices within 401(k) plans are being changed frequently

The investment choices of the 401(k) plans are receiving immense focus from HR departments. 63% of the plans changed their investment lineup in the last year, according to the survey.

Employee education is on the rise

The PSCA survey also indicated companies are ramping up their education plans for employees. Employees are being offered more chances  to get educated about the retirement options provided by their companies so they can make the correct choices for th ...]]></description>
      <dc:creator>MBAHRO</dc:creator>
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      <pubDate>Sun, 18 Dec 2011 23:25:00 GMT</pubDate>
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      <title>Florida officials are looking for ways to lower the state government’s workers’ compensation expenses.</title>
      <category domain="http://www.mbahro.com/news/tabid/110/categoryid/18/default.aspx">Benefits</category>
      <link>http://mbahro.com/News/tabid/110/entryid/503/Florida-officials-are-looking-for-ways-to-lower-the-state-government-s-workers-compensation-expenses.aspx</link>
      <description><![CDATA[
Areas being targeted include:

Presumption Claims

These are claims that are granted based on a worker’s job. So, if a worker passes a physical upon being hired, and later, contracts a specific illness, the law automatically assumes the illness was contracted because of the job. For example, if a firefighter contracts lung disease, it is assumed the job contributed to contracting the illness. This automatically qualifies the employee for workers’ compensation benefits. These presumption claims focus mostly on “first responders like firefighters and law enforcement officials.

Florida Division of Risk Management which insures all state agencies said these claims have cost the state some $30 million since 2003.

Drug Costs

The Florida Division of Risk Management also states that the cost of physicians repackaging prescription drugs is being analyzed. In 2003, the state capped the cost of on pharmacy dispensed drugs at three times the drug manufacturer’s wholesale price, plus ...]]></description>
      <dc:creator>MBAHRO</dc:creator>
      <comments>http://www.mbahro.comhttp://mbahro.com/News/tabid/110/entryid/503/Florida-officials-are-looking-for-ways-to-lower-the-state-government-s-workers-compensation-expenses.aspx#Comments</comments>
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      <pubDate>Sat, 17 Dec 2011 01:36:00 GMT</pubDate>
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      <title>One recent trend for increasing enrollment in wellness programs</title>
      <category domain="http://www.mbahro.com/news/tabid/110/categoryid/18/default.aspx">Benefits</category>
      <category domain="http://www.mbahro.com/news/tabid/110/categoryid/20/default.aspx">Risk Management</category>
      <link>http://mbahro.com/News/tabid/110/entryid/482/One-recent-trend-for-increasing-enrollment-in-wellness-programs.aspx</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Wellness programs are growing in popularity due to their effectiveness and recent press coverage. These are the wellness programs designed to reduce illnesses normally treated through the standard health care plans. Wellness program examples include weight loss programs to prevent diabetes and exercise plans to prevent heart disease. 
One resulting phenomena is the trend to encourage workers’ compensation and nonoccupational disability claimants to these wellness programs. As the business owner, encouraging this kind of integration between your benefits areas is a good step toward reducing your company’s overall medical expenses. It also promotes the normal wellness benefits of improving productivity, lessening illness absences, and reducing accidents.
Many of the normal wellness offerings routinely are underutilized. By taking a proactive approach to encouraging employees to enroll in programs that work toward goals of weight-loss or breaking smoking habits, your company can have a healthier wo ...]]></description>
      <dc:creator>MBAHRO</dc:creator>
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      <pubDate>Thu, 08 Dec 2011 21:50:00 GMT</pubDate>
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      <title>Early retirees may be running out of one source of financial relief.</title>
      <category domain="http://www.mbahro.com/news/tabid/110/categoryid/18/default.aspx">Benefits</category>
      <link>http://mbahro.com/News/tabid/110/entryid/478/Early-retirees-may-be-running-out-of-one-source-of-financial-relief.aspx</link>
      <description><![CDATA[A $5 billion Early Retiree Reinsurance Program created as part of the health care reform law will run out of money soon. $3.6 billion have already been distributed.
The $5 billion is meant to reimburse early retiree reinsurance program plan sponsors for part of the money they have paid out due to early retiree health care claims. Eligible claims are made by retirees of at least 55 years of age that are not eligible for Medicare. In addition the program only covers claims filed after June1, 2010. This program lets the government reimburse employers and other early retiree health care plan sponsors for a portion of these medical claims filed.
The program is structured to pay 80% of medical costs up to $90,000 per year, once a participant has had $15,000 in claims. 
A survey is being sent out by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to understand how the plan sponsors have used this reimbursement money. The money is supposed to be used to cover both monies paid out by a plan sponsor due to claims, an ...]]></description>
      <dc:creator>MBAHRO</dc:creator>
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      <pubDate>Tue, 06 Dec 2011 21:28:00 GMT</pubDate>
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      <title>Maternity Leave – What usually happens, according to a recent U.S. Census Bureau finding.</title>
      <category domain="http://www.mbahro.com/news/tabid/110/categoryid/18/default.aspx">Benefits</category>
      <link>http://mbahro.com/News/tabid/110/entryid/475/Maternity-Leave-What-usually-happens-according-to-a-recent-U-S-Census-Bureau-finding.aspx</link>
      <description><![CDATA[In a recent U.S. Census Bureau report (http://www.census.gov/prod/2011pubs/p70-128.pdf), 51 percent of first-time working mothers take paid maternity, with a further 45 percent taking unpaid leave time.

In addition, younger mothers are more likely to quit working following their first pregnancy. 33% of 20-21 year olds versus 12% of first-time mothers 30 years or older.

Now, as a business owner, the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) mandates up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for childbearing or family care over a 12-month period for eligible employees. Though there was no indication that first-time mothers are taking more leave time than in the past.

Whether you offer paid leave as a benefit is usually up to your company policy.

About 66% of working mothers return to the job within the first year following their first pregnancy. The percentage of women who leave their jobs during or following their first pregnancy continued to decline from 36% on 1965 to 22%.

You can take these recent ins ...]]></description>
      <dc:creator>MBAHRO</dc:creator>
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      <pubDate>Mon, 05 Dec 2011 00:59:00 GMT</pubDate>
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      <title>401k Automatic Enrollments paired with Target-Date funds. Tips for you.</title>
      <category domain="http://www.mbahro.com/news/tabid/110/categoryid/18/default.aspx">Benefits</category>
      <link>http://mbahro.com/News/tabid/110/entryid/480/401k-Automatic-Enrollments-paired-with-Target-Date-funds-Tips-for-you.aspx</link>
      <description><![CDATA[A few years ago, it became legal to automatically enroll employees in your 401k program. Over 35% of companies are automatically enrolling employees according to a Hewitt Associates report. A common choice of default investment in the 401k fund is a target-date fund, where the investment choices are automatically rebalanced to become more conservative as the employee reached retirement age.
Some benefits to automatic enrollment include:

    With automatic enrollment employees, who otherwise wouldn’t take the time to enroll, have a 401k retirement plan set up for them. This adds financial security to your employees. 
    Having a low enrollment rate can affect how much higher earning employees can contribute to 401k plans according to regulations. So, the automatic enrollment can help with this issue.

Some benefits to the target-date funds include:

    With the popularity of these types of funds, the management fees are slowly decreasing. A Morningstar study found average fund management  ...]]></description>
      <dc:creator>MBAHRO</dc:creator>
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      <pubDate>Sun, 04 Dec 2011 23:30:00 GMT</pubDate>
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      <title>Disability claims can be a burden on your company. Here’s one example.</title>
      <category domain="http://www.mbahro.com/news/tabid/110/categoryid/18/default.aspx">Benefits</category>
      <category domain="http://www.mbahro.com/news/tabid/110/categoryid/20/default.aspx">Risk Management</category>
      <link>http://mbahro.com/News/tabid/110/entryid/479/Disability-claims-can-be-a-burden-on-your-company-Here-s-one-example.aspx</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court laid the burden of proof on a former employee regarding his claim to total temporary disability benefits for injuries sustained in 2005 at Hillis-Carnes Engineering Associates Inc.
Brian Soja was injured on the job and received one month of total disability for his 2005 back injury. In 2006, he reapplied for more total disability.
The employer submitted a 2008 surveillance video that shows the man performing physical work in a salvage yard.
The court ruled that is was the employee’s burden to prove the extent of his injuries. But, the court went on to grant Total Temporary Disability Benefits to Soja for the time period between his filing of the reinstatement in 2006 through the date the video was recorded in 2008.
So, through the video, the company was able to limit its exposure to the 2006 through 2008 timeframe and deny coverage past the filming of the video in 2008. 
From a business owner’s perspective, these kinds of issues can be a major distraction f ...]]></description>
      <dc:creator>MBAHRO</dc:creator>
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      <pubDate>Fri, 02 Dec 2011 22:32:00 GMT</pubDate>
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      <title>Pension overpayments may lead to early retirement incentives – U.S. Postal Service</title>
      <category domain="http://www.mbahro.com/news/tabid/110/categoryid/18/default.aspx">Benefits</category>
      <link>http://mbahro.com/News/tabid/110/entryid/476/Pension-overpayments-may-lead-to-early-retirement-incentives-U-S-Postal-Service.aspx</link>
      <description><![CDATA[A recent proposal by a bipartisan group of senators proposes to use a portion of $6.9 billion in pension overpayments to fund incentives to encourage early retirement for at least 100,000 employees. Twenty-five percent ($1.7 billion) could be used to fund the incentives to help reduce the workforce. 
This would help the service meet its financial business model in 2012. Senator Collins, the republican from Maine, said, "The postal service literally will not survive without comprehensive legislation and will not be able to meet payroll a year from now."
The four senators at the press conference supporting the proposal were all members of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee: Chairman Joseph Lieberman, I-Connecticut; Susan Collins, R-Maine; Thomas Carper, D-Delaware; and Scott Brown, R-Massachusetts
Senator Lieberman said the reduction in staff could save the postal service more than $6 billion each year, after paying for the buyouts. He also mentioned that returning the $6.9 billi ...]]></description>
      <dc:creator>MBAHRO</dc:creator>
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      <pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov 2011 08:23:00 GMT</pubDate>
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      <title>Potential 401(k) changes in 2012 could have a major impact on your staff.</title>
      <category domain="http://www.mbahro.com/news/tabid/110/categoryid/18/default.aspx">Benefits</category>
      <category domain="http://www.mbahro.com/news/tabid/110/categoryid/9/default.aspx">Payroll Outsourcing</category>
      <link>http://mbahro.com/News/tabid/110/entryid/481/Potential-401-k-changes-in-2012-could-have-a-major-impact-on-your-staff.aspx</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Currently, employee and employer contributions to a 401(k) plan are limited to $49,000 or 100 percent of a worker’s pay, whichever is lower. Two proposals that could take effect in 2012 threaten the financial benefits of the 401(k) program and affect how much employees can place into their accounts. Currently the 401(k) system and the IRA rollovers that occur from them are some of the largest sources of retirement financing in the country.
One proposal is from 2010 and one is more recent.
The first proposal, drafted by the bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform (NCFRR), is called the “20/20 cap.” It proposes to limit 401(k) annual contributions to $20,000, or 20% of an employee’s salary, whichever is lower.
The second proposal, also drafted by the NCFRR, attempts to remove the tax deduction aspect of a 401(k) plan and replace it with a flat-rate refundable credit that would act as a matching contribution to a retirement savings account, outside of a 401(k ...]]></description>
      <dc:creator>MBAHRO</dc:creator>
      <comments>http://www.mbahro.comhttp://mbahro.com/News/tabid/110/entryid/481/Potential-401-k-changes-in-2012-could-have-a-major-impact-on-your-staff.aspx#Comments</comments>
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      <pubDate>Mon, 28 Nov 2011 00:08:00 GMT</pubDate>
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      <title>Study finds Demographics Matter in Retirement Plans</title>
      <category domain="http://www.mbahro.com/news/tabid/110/categoryid/18/default.aspx">Benefits</category>
      <link>http://mbahro.com/News/tabid/110/entryid/470/Study-finds-Demographics-Matter-in-Retirement-Plans.aspx</link>
      <description><![CDATA[A new study by the Investment Company Institute (ICI) finds it’s the demographic make-up and not the company size that determines whether it offers a retirement plan or not. The study found companies with an older and higher-earning workforce are more likely to offer retirement plans than those with younger and lower-income workers. 
Data from the study shows younger and lower-income earners are more likely to save to fund educational opportunities, buy a home or make other purchases to meet more immediate and short-term needs. However, older and higher-earning employees are more likely to make saving for retirement their number one goal. They are also more likely to prefer having their compensation in the form of retirement benefits (as opposed to being fully paid in cash). They are also more likely to look for and seek out companies that offer retirement plans. 
The study suggests the reason smaller companies are less apt than larger ones to sponsor retirement plans is tied to workforce differences, ...]]></description>
      <dc:creator>MBAHRO</dc:creator>
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      <pubDate>Sun, 27 Nov 2011 02:46:00 GMT</pubDate>
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      <title>Small Businesses Bundle Benefits Together</title>
      <category domain="http://www.mbahro.com/news/tabid/110/categoryid/18/default.aspx">Benefits</category>
      <link>http://mbahro.com/News/tabid/110/entryid/463/Small-Businesses-Bundle-Benefits-Together.aspx</link>
      <description><![CDATA[To help small businesses control costs, some of the top voluntary benefit providers in the United States are bundling group life, disability, accident, critical-illness and other supplemental policies. In an effort to provide a wide range of benefits and be competitive in today’s tough market, they are also sweetening the coverage.
Some voluntary benefit providers are also increasing opportunities when it comes to the single-platform trend that puts an emphasis on online billing and benefits delivery. This recipe has been extremely successful for Unum Group. The company has experienced increased sales since rolling out its Simply Unum Solution a few years back for small and midsize groups in 47 states. Company administrators say their sales have been strong in markets that have been hardest hit with economic problems. 
With Unum, flexibility plays a critical role because customers are allowed to subsidize a fixed percentage of baseline coverage and workers are responsible for the rest of the costs. Th ...]]></description>
      <dc:creator>MBAHRO</dc:creator>
      <comments>http://www.mbahro.comhttp://mbahro.com/News/tabid/110/entryid/463/Small-Businesses-Bundle-Benefits-Together.aspx#Comments</comments>
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      <pubDate>Wed, 23 Nov 2011 17:18:00 GMT</pubDate>
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      <title>President Obama’s Health Care Law Backed by U.S. Appeals Court</title>
      <category domain="http://www.mbahro.com/news/tabid/110/categoryid/18/default.aspx">Benefits</category>
      <link>http://mbahro.com/News/tabid/110/entryid/461/President-Obama-s-Health-Care-Law-Backed-by-U-S-Appeals-Court.aspx</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The U.S. Appeals Court for the District of Columbia Circuit recently agreed with a lower court that dismissed a challenge and found the minimum coverage requirement to be constitutional in President Barack Obama’s health care law. 
The appeals court upheld a lower court ruling that found it constitutional to require Americans buy health care insurance coverage by early 2014 or face a penalty (and dismiss a lawsuit that challenged it). 
In the majority opinion, Judge Laurence Silberman wrote, "It certainly is an encroachment on individual liberty, but it is no more so than a command that restaurants or hotels are obliged to serve all customers regardless of race ... or that a farmer cannot grow enough wheat to support his own family." He added, "The right to be free from federal regulation is not absolute, and yields to the imperative that Congress be free to forge national solutions to national problems, no matter how local -- or seemingly passive -- their individual origins." Judge Silberman also cit ...]]></description>
      <dc:creator>MBAHRO</dc:creator>
      <comments>http://www.mbahro.comhttp://mbahro.com/News/tabid/110/entryid/461/President-Obama-s-Health-Care-Law-Backed-by-U-S-Appeals-Court.aspx#Comments</comments>
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      <pubDate>Tue, 15 Nov 2011 23:49:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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      <title>Employers are Looking to make Workers Happy with Voluntary Benefits</title>
      <category domain="http://www.mbahro.com/news/tabid/110/categoryid/18/default.aspx">Benefits</category>
      <link>http://mbahro.com/News/tabid/110/entryid/460/Employers-are-Looking-to-make-Workers-Happy-with-Voluntary-Benefits.aspx</link>
      <description><![CDATA[New research by Prudential shows employers are concerned about their employees when it comes to voluntary benefits. Data from the study shows 75 percent of employers say their number one reason for offering voluntary benefits is to expand the benefits options they can offer their employees. Forty-two percent reported offering voluntary benefits to fulfill an employee need and 30 percent say they offer them at the worker’s request. 
Voluntary benefits are optional programs available to employees that are 100 percent paid for by them. They offer workers an affordable way to obtain extra benefits. According to the study, 85 percent of respondents reported offering at least one voluntary benefit. 

    63 percent offer life insurance
    56 percent offer disability insurance
    52 percent offer dental insurance
    35 percent offer critical illness insurance
    33 percent offer long-term care insurance

Analysts say employees see the workplace as a valuable resource for savings products and perso ...]]></description>
      <dc:creator>MBAHRO</dc:creator>
      <comments>http://www.mbahro.comhttp://mbahro.com/News/tabid/110/entryid/460/Employers-are-Looking-to-make-Workers-Happy-with-Voluntary-Benefits.aspx#Comments</comments>
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      <pubDate>Mon, 14 Nov 2011 23:45:00 GMT</pubDate>
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      <title>What Helps Recruit and Retain Senior Employees? </title>
      <category domain="http://www.mbahro.com/news/tabid/110/categoryid/18/default.aspx">Benefits</category>
      <link>http://mbahro.com/News/tabid/110/entryid/449/What-Helps-Recruit-and-Retain-Senior-Employees.aspx</link>
      <description><![CDATA[When it comes to recruiting and keeping top senior employees, it seems in the volatile market, non-qualified plans are still a key part of many companies’ overall retirement savings programs. They are also quite common in large companies. A recent survey found the programs are popular and on average, two-thirds of eligible workers participate. 
A nonqualified plan is any type of tax-deferred, employer-sponsored retirement plan that falls outside of Employee Retirement Income Security Act Guidelines. Such plans are designed to meet specialized retirement needs for key executives and other select employees. 
A recent survey done by the Profit-Sharing/401(k) Council of America and a Boston Research Group found nonqualified plans are more common among large companies. The survey was done with 385 plan sponsors.  Research shows less than 10 percent of companies with 500 workers or less offset these types of savings plans and 75 percent of companies with 25,000 or more employees do. The survey also shows mo ...]]></description>
      <dc:creator>MBAHRO</dc:creator>
      <comments>http://www.mbahro.comhttp://mbahro.com/News/tabid/110/entryid/449/What-Helps-Recruit-and-Retain-Senior-Employees.aspx#Comments</comments>
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      <pubDate>Wed, 09 Nov 2011 23:03:00 GMT</pubDate>
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      <title>Labor Department Gets Rid of Additional Fees for 401(K) Advisers</title>
      <category domain="http://www.mbahro.com/news/tabid/110/categoryid/18/default.aspx">Benefits</category>
      <link>http://mbahro.com/News/tabid/110/entryid/447/Labor-Department-Gets-Rid-of-Additional-Fees-for-401-K-Advisers.aspx</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The U.S. Department of Labor has finalized a rule that will discourage advisers from getting additional compensation based on the funds they choose for retirement plans. The rule covers investment advice for both participants as well as their beneficiaries. It will apply to workers in 401(k) plans and clients in individual retirement accounts. The new rule will give fiduciary advisers two choices as to how they can give participants advice. First, they can get compensation based on a level fee. This means they will not be able to get variable compensation that is based on the investments they choose. 
The other option is for auditors to use a computer model that is certified as unbiased by an independent auditor. That outside person will take a look at whether or not the model is set up according to generally accepted investment principles. 
The rule was originally proposed in March 2010. At that time, critics said the computer model would be biased toward passive investments and against active options. The ...]]></description>
      <dc:creator>MBAHRO</dc:creator>
      <comments>http://www.mbahro.comhttp://mbahro.com/News/tabid/110/entryid/447/Labor-Department-Gets-Rid-of-Additional-Fees-for-401-K-Advisers.aspx#Comments</comments>
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      <pubDate>Mon, 07 Nov 2011 20:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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      <title>New Research Shows Most Employers are Once Again Offering 401(k) Match</title>
      <category domain="http://www.mbahro.com/news/tabid/110/categoryid/18/default.aspx">Benefits</category>
      <link>http://mbahro.com/News/tabid/110/entryid/450/New-Research-Shows-Most-Employers-are-Once-Again-Offering-401-k-Match.aspx</link>
      <description><![CDATA[According to research by Towers Watson, many companies suspended their 401(k) matches between January 2008 and January 2010—with most of that happening during the first six months of 2009. Based on new research, most companies that previously suspended their 401(k) plan matching contributions due to the economic downturn have put them back in place. 
Based on the new study by Tower Watson & Co., 75 percent of companies that suspended their matches have now restored them. Research shows that 83 percent of companies suspended their 401(k) plans during the first half of 2009—which was during the peak of the Great Recession. 
With regard to the companies that reinstated their match, 74 percent of them restored the match they had in place before the suspension. Towers Watson says the most frequent match before and after the suspension was one in which companies matched 50 percent of employees’ salary deferrals (up to 6 percent of their pay).  In addition, 23 percent of companies that restor ...]]></description>
      <dc:creator>MBAHRO</dc:creator>
      <comments>http://www.mbahro.comhttp://mbahro.com/News/tabid/110/entryid/450/New-Research-Shows-Most-Employers-are-Once-Again-Offering-401-k-Match.aspx#Comments</comments>
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      <pubDate>Sat, 05 Nov 2011 22:05:00 GMT</pubDate>
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      <title>New Tool Shows Companies Benefits of Hiring Disabled Employees</title>
      <category domain="http://www.mbahro.com/news/tabid/110/categoryid/18/default.aspx">Benefits</category>
      <link>http://mbahro.com/News/tabid/110/entryid/448/New-Tool-Shows-Companies-Benefits-of-Hiring-Disabled-Employees.aspx</link>
      <description><![CDATA[A new tool called “Hire Gauge” assesses cost benefits when hiring disabled workers. Hire Gauge was developed by Think Beyond the Label, a public-private partnership with a focus on obtaining more job opportunities for people who are disabled. The tool is free and helps companies calculate the potential cost saving benefits of hiring people with disabilities. Think Beyond is funded by Health & Disability Advocates, a Chicago-based policy and advocacy organization and 40 social services agencies across the United States that give assistance to people who are disabled. 
The tool shows the tax savings that can add up when companies hire disabled workers. Think Beyond says for a typical large business, tax savings can amount to $31,800 per person.
Visit www.thinkbehondthelabel.com to access Hire Gauge and find all of the information you need in one place. The tool will ask you several questions about your business and your disability hiring practices. It will then calculate the cash incentives fo ...]]></description>
      <dc:creator>MBAHRO</dc:creator>
      <comments>http://www.mbahro.comhttp://mbahro.com/News/tabid/110/entryid/448/New-Tool-Shows-Companies-Benefits-of-Hiring-Disabled-Employees.aspx#Comments</comments>
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      <pubDate>Wed, 02 Nov 2011 22:02:00 GMT</pubDate>
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      <title>Companies Try to Figure Out what to do with Employee Benefits </title>
      <category domain="http://www.mbahro.com/news/tabid/110/categoryid/18/default.aspx">Benefits</category>
      <link>http://mbahro.com/News/tabid/110/entryid/432/Companies-Try-to-Figure-Out-what-to-do-with-Employee-Benefits.aspx</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Employees might be asking themselves if they are obligated to offer certain benefits while they struggle with the ever-increasing costs of benefits. Aside from workers’ compensation, Social Security and some state requirements, employers are able to decide for themselves whether or not to provide other benefits.
While the law might not require you to have benefits, in order to obtain and retain talented workers, you should think twice before dropping benefits. 
According to MetLife’s ninth annual Study of Employee Benefit Trends, in the six months before this past March, 20 percent of companies reported they had to decrease employee benefits. This is the highest level since the fall of 2008. According to the study, employers continue to scale back on health care coverage for workers (91 percent) and spouses and dependents (89 percent). 
According to the International Foundation and International Society of Certified Employee Benefit Specialists’ Employee Benefits Survey; U.S. and Canada 2 ...]]></description>
      <dc:creator>MBAHRO</dc:creator>
      <comments>http://www.mbahro.comhttp://mbahro.com/News/tabid/110/entryid/432/Companies-Try-to-Figure-Out-what-to-do-with-Employee-Benefits.aspx#Comments</comments>
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      <pubDate>Tue, 25 Oct 2011 20:38:00 GMT</pubDate>
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      <title>Survey Shows Wages Reduced and Hiring Slows in August</title>
      <category domain="http://www.mbahro.com/news/tabid/110/categoryid/18/default.aspx">Benefits</category>
      <link>http://mbahro.com/News/tabid/110/entryid/421/Survey-Shows-Wages-Reduced-and-Hiring-Slows-in-August.aspx</link>
      <description><![CDATA[A recent independent survey shows this past August, employers reduced workers hours and hiring by small businesses slowed. Economic experts say this could mean the recent stock market turmoil has slowed down job creation. Experts say this is proof the economic recovery has a long way to go.
According to Intuit, a payroll processing company, in July, small businesses added 35,000 jobs after increasing employment by 40,000. The survey was based on responses from close to 66,000 employers at companies with 20 employees or less and covered the days between July 24 and August 23.   
Following Standard & Poor taking away the nation’s top AAA credit rating, consumer and business confidence took a swan dive. This also came after news of the debt crisis spreading in Europe. 
Economic experts fear that the problems in the stock market could scare businesses away from hiring any new workers. Upcoming employment report numbers will be closely monitored to see whether or not people project another impending r ...]]></description>
      <dc:creator>MBAHRO</dc:creator>
      <comments>http://www.mbahro.comhttp://mbahro.com/News/tabid/110/entryid/421/Survey-Shows-Wages-Reduced-and-Hiring-Slows-in-August.aspx#Comments</comments>
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      <pubDate>Sun, 23 Oct 2011 19:13:00 GMT</pubDate>
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      <title>Employees Should Take Time to Understand Benefits </title>
      <category domain="http://www.mbahro.com/news/tabid/110/categoryid/18/default.aspx">Benefits</category>
      <link>http://mbahro.com/News/tabid/110/entryid/420/Employees-Should-Take-Time-to-Understand-Benefits.aspx</link>
      <description><![CDATA[When it comes to employee benefits, HR professionals spend countless hours preparing items for open enrollment and holding benefits meetings for employees. However, often times, workers don’t spend much time making their benefit selections. According to a new survey from Aflac, employees who don’t select benefits carefully could face financial consequences as a result. 
According to Aflac’s Workforces Report, 75 percent of employees who make benefits coverage decisions during open enrollment later regret their decision. In the survey, forty-two percent of workers say they have wasted money because of mistakes they made with their insurance benefits. Also, more than four in five respondents say they are at least “somewhat” concerned about the possibility of an unexpected medical expense. 
The survey was recently conducted with 980 employees responsible for insurance decisions and outlined the ways Americans make costly mistakes in benefits decisions. The survey also revealed the ...]]></description>
      <dc:creator>MBAHRO</dc:creator>
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      <pubDate>Sat, 22 Oct 2011 19:11:00 GMT</pubDate>
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      <title>Rules are Not Equal for Same Sex Couples </title>
      <category domain="http://www.mbahro.com/news/tabid/110/categoryid/18/default.aspx">Benefits</category>
      <link>http://mbahro.com/News/tabid/110/entryid/419/Rules-are-Not-Equal-for-Same-Sex-Couples.aspx</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This past July, New York’s Marriage Equality Act went into effect. Gay and lesbian couples who live in New York lined up at the city clerk’s office to get married. State law already recognized same-sex marriages were legal in five other states, as well as in the District of Columbia and many other countries (including nearby Canada). 
"These marriages, in whichever state, are what I call 'feel-good marriages,' " long-time gay activist Larry Kramer said in a statement he released to THE NEW YORK TIMES after the law was passed. "Most straight people who are congratulating us so effusively don't understand that these marriages share none of their federal benefits and entitlements, the right to inherit without punishing taxation, the right for our joint incomes not to be taxed so hideously high, the right to share insurances. … So why do we continue to get so excited when so few worthless crumbs are thrown our way?"
Changes could come at the federal level. In 1996, President Bill Clinton sign ...]]></description>
      <dc:creator>MBAHRO</dc:creator>
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      <pubDate>Fri, 21 Oct 2011 19:09:00 GMT</pubDate>
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      <title>Almost 1 Million Young Adults Gained Health Insurance During First Quarter of 2011</title>
      <category domain="http://www.mbahro.com/news/tabid/110/categoryid/18/default.aspx">Benefits</category>
      <link>http://mbahro.com/News/tabid/110/entryid/430/Almost-1-Million-Young-Adults-Gained-Health-Insurance-During-First-Quarter-of-2011.aspx</link>
      <description><![CDATA[According to the Department of Health and Human Services, about 1 million young adults obtained health insurance during the first quarter of 2011. This is the result of a health care reform law provision that requires companies to offer coverage to employees’ adult children up to the age of 26. Health and Human Services (HHS) says during this timeframe, 69.6 of young adults who are between the ages of 19 and 25 were insured. This number is up 66.1 percent from 2010. HHS says that 3.5 percentage-point increase represents 1 million young adults that are now with health insurance. This information comes from a recent survey by the National Center for Health Statistics.
The young-adult provision, which went into effect January 1 of this year for companies with calendar-year plans, was one of the first mandates from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to go into effect. According to the reform, the only eligibility requirement that employers can enforce is that the employee’s child is young ...]]></description>
      <dc:creator>MBAHRO</dc:creator>
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      <pubDate>Thu, 20 Oct 2011 19:48:00 GMT</pubDate>
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      <title>Group Suggests Investing in Public Pension Plans</title>
      <category domain="http://www.mbahro.com/news/tabid/110/categoryid/18/default.aspx">Benefits</category>
      <link>http://mbahro.com/News/tabid/110/entryid/422/Group-Suggests-Investing-in-Public-Pension-Plans.aspx</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems recently suggested allowing small to medium-sized firms to buy into public retirement funds. Almost half of private sector employees have employer-sponsored retirement plans—mostly 401(k)s—where they and their employers contribute money to buy investments. 
According to the National Association of State Retirement Administrators, 85 percent of public sector workers take part in defined benefit plans. These are traditional pensions that pay retirees a fixed amount. 
America’s financial crisis shattered the value of many 401(k)s, which forced many workers to delay retirement or even return to work to rebuild their nest eggs. In addition, Social Security expects to see an increase in demand in coming years from nearly 78 million baby boomers who will retire. 
Under the secure choice pension proposal, states would open retirement systems to contributions from businesses that do not have pension plans. Under this plan, workers would ...]]></description>
      <dc:creator>MBAHRO</dc:creator>
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      <pubDate>Mon, 17 Oct 2011 19:20:00 GMT</pubDate>
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      <title>New Tool Expected to Help Employers Boost Employee Retirement Savings </title>
      <category domain="http://www.mbahro.com/news/tabid/110/categoryid/18/default.aspx">Benefits</category>
      <link>http://mbahro.com/News/tabid/110/entryid/423/New-Tool-Expected-to-Help-Employers-Boost-Employee-Retirement-Savings.aspx</link>
      <description><![CDATA[A recent study by Putnam Investments shows American households are on track to replace only about 64 percent of their current income in retirement. That number is tremendously less than the 75 percent of income that most financial professionals recommend. The survey was done with 3,300 working Americans.
In an effort to help address this problem, many companies are coming up with tools to help businesses guide their employees in the direction of saving money for their future. Putnam, a money management firm, recently announced a new product called Lifetime Income Score. The company says the tool will give companies a way to help boost retirement savings for their employees. 
By having sponsors look at specific employee retirement preparedness broken down by demographic groups and by estimated monthly retirement income, the tool will pinpoint people who are most at risk. It will then empower companies to develop measurable ways to educate and engage workers who are not prepared. 
According to Putnam’s ...]]></description>
      <dc:creator>MBAHRO</dc:creator>
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      <pubDate>Fri, 14 Oct 2011 19:22:00 GMT</pubDate>
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