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Healthcare and Benefits - A Modern-day Tower of Babel Story

Balance billing, COBRA, co-insurance, donut hole, EAP, urgent care, formulary… is your head spinning yet?  I’m just getting started.   In about the year 2242BC, according to The Bible in Genesis 11:1-9, following the great flood, the descendants of Noah migrated westward into the land of Shinar.  Some Biblical scholars believe that the people, wanting …

Student Loan Repayment Benefits

A growing number of companies are offering student loan repayment assistance programs as an employee benefit. In fact, the number of employers offering student loan-related benefits doubled to 8% over the past year, the 2019 Employee Benefits Report by the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) found. There are two primary reasons employers are increasingly …

3 Non-Financial Ways to Prepare Your Children for Aging Parents

My dad was not a Boy Scout which, if you know him, is shocking for many reasons, but none more than there has never been anyone more prepared than him – for anything.   His preparedness has sometimes been the butt of some jokes – like when he bought a truckload of toilet paper during the …

It is estimated that more than one-quarter of all employers with at least 50 employees now offer a student loan repayment benefit. Why? Got millennials? Want to keep them? Need more? Some 70% of millennials graduate with more than $37,000 of student loan debt. The average for metro Atlanta residents is $22,000. That’s why. Unless …

Anti-Sex Trafficking Video

A free 20-minute video is now available for employers to provide employee training on stopping and preventing human trafficking. BEST (Businesses Ending Slavery &Trafficking) in Seattle produced the video, which informs employers of the threats against a company posed by human trafficking. It also provides employees with tools to help them take action if they …

Challenge to ACA Constitutionality

Question: What is the current status of the court case that is challenging the ACA’s constitutionality? Short Answer:  At this time, the case’s current status does not impact employers’ group health plans (e.g., it’s business as usual). However, employers should stay informed for the final decision in this case. Some states have already announced they will challenge this …

CHOA UHC Update

What follows is an informational press release from United Healthcare regarding their negotiations with CHOA’s Physicians Group.  The Benefit Company will continue to monitor this situation and provide updates as soon as they become available.    Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Physicians’ Contract Negotiation Update with United Healthcare   We want to let you know that …

BCBSGa & Piedmont Healthcare Reach Agreement

We are pleased to let you know that Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia, Inc. and Blue Cross Blue Shield Healthcare Plan of Georgia, Inc. (collectively “BCBSGa”) have reached a new multi-year agreement with Piedmont Healthcare, Inc. and Piedmont Clinic Physician Practices (collectively “Piedmont”).   The thousands of businesses and 3.5 million consumers we …

BCBSGa and Piedmont Healthcare Agreement Update

As you may be aware, BCBSGa and Piedmont Healthcare, Inc. (with the exception of Piedmont Rockdale Hospital and Piedmont Columbus Regional) did not reach an agreement as of March 31, 2018.  The parties, however, are still in active negotiations, but as of now, effective April 1, 2018, Piedmont Healthcare, Inc. is not an in-network health …