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Benefits Breakdown December 2024
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Mercer Report Projects 5.8% Health Benefits Cost Increase in 2025 U.S. employers estimate health benefit costs will increase by 5.8% in 2025, according to Mercer’s 2024 National Survey of Employer-sponsored Health Plans. This would mark the third consecutive year that the total cost per employee rose more than 5%. The report attributed the higher costs to…
Benefits Insights: Key Drivers of 2025 Health Care Cost Increases
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Healthcare costs are projected to increase substantially in 2025. Estimates show a similar growth in spending to 2024, marking multiple years of compounding costs. Specifically, healthcare costs in the United States are likely to increase by 7%-8% in 2025, according to the following data from multiple surveys: As 2025 approaches, many employers remain curious about…
2025 Employee Benefits Limits: What You Need to Know
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Many employee benefits are subject to annual dollar limits that are adjusted for inflation. For 2025, most of these limits have increased. However, some limits, such as those for dependent care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) and Health Savings Account (HSA) catch-up contributions, remain unchanged. Key Benefit Limits for 2025: Health Savings Account (HSA) Contributions Important…
Battling Holiday Depression: Tips to Avoid a Blue Christmas
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For some, the lyrics “with those holiday greetings and gay happy meetings when friends come to call, it’s the hap-happiest season of all” stirs happy memories of Christmas caroling. However, for others, the holidays can be one of the most stressful and isolating times of the year. The season often brings a whirlwind of demands—shopping,…
Benefits Breakdown November 2024
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Mercer Report Projects 5.8% Health Benefits Cost Increase in 2025 U.S. employers estimate health benefit costs will increase by 5.8% in 2025, according to Mercer’s 2024 National Survey of Employer-sponsored Health Plans. This would mark the third consecutive year that the total cost per employee rose more than 5%. The report attributed the higher costs to…
ER vs Urgent Care: How to Choose the Right Care for Your Medical Needs
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All too often, illness or injury appears out of the blue: You wake up in the middle of the night with intense abdominal pain. Or your baby spikes a high fever on the weekend. These situations are stressful and it’s hard to think when you’re under stress. But you need to decide where to go…
FSA Contribution Limits for 2025
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On October 22, 2024, the IRS announced that the limit on employees’ salary reduction contributions to a health Flexible Spending Account (FSA) will increase to $3,3000 for plan years beginning in 2025. This is an increase from the 2024 limit of $3,200. By understanding the latest contribution limits, individuals can better plan for 2025 and…
Benefits and Me November 2024
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Maximizing Your Open Enrollment Did you know that nearly 7 in 10 employees spend 30 minutes or fewer reviewing their open enrollment benefits options? Unfortunately, that’s far less than most Americans’ daily social media time. Open enrollment is crucial for making informed decisions about your health care and benefits. To maximize this period, start by…
Massachusetts Health Care Reform & Reporting Requirements
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The Massachusetts Health Care Reform Act (Act) was enacted in April 2006 to provide nearly universal health care coverage forMassachusetts residents. To carry out this objective, the Act created an individual mandate and employer coverage andreporting requirements, among other things. The Act precedes the federal healthcare reform law—the Affordable Care Act(ACA)— that was enacted in…
Navigating Employee Benefits: A Glossary
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Employee benefits can be a complex landscape, filled with acronyms and unfamiliar terms. In fact, more than 50% of American adults report that they don’t have a clear understanding of their health insurance. Many people are confused because they reach adulthood without ever learning the basics of health insurance terminology. Illiteracy about health insurance is…