UA Blog
Spotlight With Sarah: Finding a Good Dentist
"Spotlight With Sarah," featuring United Agencies Employee Benefits Expert, Sarah Prince In this video, I discuss the importance of Finding a Good Dentist. This topic is the #1 question I regularly receive! I hope you will gain value from the video. If you have any...
Happy Thanksgiving from United Agencies
This is the time of year for sharing what we are all thankful for, and on this Thanksgiving, we want to share our genuine appreciation for YOU – we wouldn’t be where we are today without you. To our valued clients, friends and affiliates, thank you for being a part of our journey this year. On behalf of all of us here at United Agencies, we wish you and your family a very happy and safe Thanksgiving.
Best Benefits for Attracting and Retaining Workers
While traditional benefits such as retirement plans and health insurance are an important part of most employers’ benefit packages, the perceived value of supplementary offerings such as leave and work-life benefits make may a bigger difference when it comes to worker engagement and productivity.
Mercury Sending Mileage Verification Letter
Throughout the pandemic, mileage has been lowered for customers working from home or temporarily not commuting to their job. As we have seen by the increased traffic on our streets and highways, many people have resumed their commutes and annual miles driven is at or close to pre-pandemic levels. Additionally, we have seen non-commuting miles increase significantly, exceeding pre-pandemic levels.
It’s All in the Benefits: Solutions for Dealing with the Big Resignation
When searching for jobs, most applicants research the company and what the benefits and perks are of working for that company. When COVID hit, most workers went virtual, and for HR professionals, the way we attract candidates rapidly had to change.
Spotlight With Sarah: New Video! Understanding the Difference Between HMO vs. PPO Dental Plans
In this video, HR expert Sarah Prince discuss the differences between HMO vs. PPO Dental Plans, and offers you her suggestions as to what course of action you may wish to consider. Be sure to visit the Spotlight With Sarah page and check out our United Agencies “Spotlight” Blog Channel.
Effective 2023: California First State Allowing Kids to Add Parents to Insurance Plans
California is going to be the first state to let some adult children add their parents as dependents on their insurance plans in 2023, a move advocates hope will cover the small population of people living in the country illegally who don’t qualify for other assistance programs.
The trend nationally has been to let children linger on their parents’ health insurance plans. Former President Barack Obama’s health care law let children stay on their parents’ plans until age 26. Some states have gone further and let kids stay on their parents’ plans until at least age 30, including Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Employers Anticipate Health Costs Rising 5% In 2022
Due largely to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic and its continued effects on American healthcare, employers are expecting their health costs to rise more than 5% in 2022, according to a new Willis Towers Watson survey. Employers expect their costs for medical and pharmacy benefit expenses to increase 5.2% in 2022, even after taking cost management initiatives into account. The increase is slightly lower than the 5.5% increase employers projected for 2021, but sharply higher than the actual 2.1% increase in 2020.
Forbes Recognizes Mercury Insurance as One of Best for 2022
Forbes Recognizes Mercury Insurance as One of Best for 2022
9 in 10 Employers Offer Voluntary Benefits: Here Are The Most Common
Employers have long included voluntary benefits as part of their ancillary benefit packages. Voluntary benefits are administered by the employer and paid for by the workers, who in turn receive group rates or discounted services. An effective voluntary benefit plan can serve as a cost-effective method to attract and retain high-quality workers while limiting distraction and increasing worker productivity. The International Foundation’s 2020 Employee Benefits Survey provides benchmarking data on a wide variety of voluntary offerings, including life insurance, accident insurance, vision insurance, short and long-term disability benefits, and more.
Mercury Insurance New Group Discounts
Mercury Insurance offers numerous discounts to policyholders, and effective October 10, 2021, Mercury will be implementing four new group discounts to help consumers save even more.
Spotlight With Sarah: NEW VIDEO! Understanding Dental HMO Plans
"Spotlight With Sarah," featuring United Agencies Employee Benefits expert Sarah Prince Hello Everyone! I'm excited to launch a new video series where I dive into Dental and Vision Insurance Plans and how they work, on my Spotlight With Sarah page and also on our...
IRS Lowers 2022 Employer Health Plan Affordability Threshold to 9.61% of Pay Cost-Sharing
The IRS announced that employer-sponsored health coverage will satisfy the Affordable Care Act (ACA) affordability requirement next year if the lowest-cost, self-only coverage option an employer offers does not exceed 9.61 percent of an employee’s income. The threshold in 2021 was 9.83 percent. It had risen from 9.78 percent in 2020.
Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers: Using Generational Understanding to Hire & Keep Your Best People
If you didn’t get a chance to view our recent presentation at the ACRC Conference in Ft Lauderdale last month, featuring Chris Stickney and Levi Gelineau, it was very informative and helpful for our audiences. We hope you will take the opportunity to watch our presentation on YouTube.
Important Notice: 2020 Anthem Small Group MLR Rebates Mailed at the End of August
What is MLR? The medical loss ratio provision of the ACA encourages health plans to spend most of the premium dollars they collect on healthcare costs rather than overhead. It’s a ratio of insurance premiums to claims costs and is usually expressed as a percentage....
There is No End in Sight in the Fight Over How Uber/Lyft Classify Their Workers
Yahoo Finance Tech – A judge this week struck down a California ballot initiative championed by Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash that let companies treat so-called gig workers as contractors rather than employees. But the battle between labor advocates and those companies could rage on for years, experts say.
How COVID is Affecting Mental Health: Younger Generations Hit the Hardest
Gen Z and millennial employees have been struggling more with their mental health than older generations during the pandemic. The Standard found that 71% of Gen Z and 59% of millennial employees have reported a mental health issue during the pandemic, compared to 36% of Gen X and 22% of baby boomers.
Best Economy Cars for 2021 & 2022
The short answer is an economy car is an automobile that is designed for low cost purchase and operation. Typical economy cars are small, light weight, and inexpensive to buy. Economy car designers are forced by stringent design constraints to be inventive. According to Edmunds, the most economical cars are those that consume the least amount of fuel. These are typically vehicles with hybrid powertrains. Hybrids can generate and store electricity for use while driving by harvesting the forces created during braking, or by siphoning small amounts of engine power.
Hospitals are Required to Transparently Post Their Prices Online, But Are We Actually Seeing Them?
Many hospitals around the country have started sharing their prices online in compliance with a recent federal rule. Price variations are supposed to be available in stark black and white under a Trump administration price transparency rule that took effect at the start of this year. It requires hospitals to post a range of actual prices — everything from the rates they offer cash-paying customers to costs negotiated with insurers.
To Recruit & Hire the Class of 2021, You Need to Boost Your Benefits
Companies are facing the tightest labor market seen in decades, so they must compete in the fight for talent, and there is one feature that is often overlooked: employee benefits. The talent shortage the market is currently experiencing means qualified professionals have more choices than ever when it comes to their workplace, which is why companies must find ways to get creative with benefits and stand out from the competition. However, while many companies are offering sign-on bonuses, increased salaries or flashy perks to win over talent, meaningful benefits can outweigh them all.
