Bless their hearts, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has issued proposed regulations to improve access to association health plan markets. Their two biggest ideas for improvement are to force existing bona fide associations to stop risk rating health plan coverage at the employer level and to start counting individuals as groups.

Where to begin...

In the beginning...association health plans owe their existence to the definition of "employer" under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).

The term "employer" means any person acting directly as an employer, or indirectly in the interest of an employer, in relation to an employee benefit plan; and includes a group or association of employers acting for an employer in such capacity. 29 USC § 1002(5) (emphasis added)

Thus, a group of different employers can collectively create a health plan for participating employers and be considered a single "employer" plan for purposes of ERISA. Continue to full article

 

We asked some of our very own TBS Team members what they do to prevent heart disease and live a healthy lifestyle. Below are some of their responses. What do you do?

" I stay healthy by exercising daily, practicing yoga/meditation to stay stress free and eating a low fat, fiber rich, nutrient dense diet." - Tiana

" I do at least 30 minutes of cardio five days a week and hour long cycle classes 2-3 times a week." - Devi

"I make sure to get a healthy dose of the heart-friendly fats-- Omega-3 and monounsaturated-- into my diet, and work in veggies and fruits as often as possible." - Jennifer

For additional tips, recipes, and more ways to keep your heart healthy check out the American Heart Association website at www.heart.org 

 

Q: I've been hearing more and more about your PEO, ScaleHRO.  I hate to admit it but I'm not entirely sure what a PEO is. Help! 

A: Professional Employer Organizations, or PEOs, partner with companies to provide comprehensive HR outsourcing to help manage human resources, employee benefits, regulatory compliance and risk management, and payroll. A PEO works through a co-employment arrangement, which means the PEO contractually shares certain employer responsibilities with the company.  To learn more on how ScaleHRO can benefit you and your clients, please contact us at info@scalehro.com or call 1-888-393-4738.  Or better yet, if you are a producer in Northern California then you can register to attend one of our upcoming events.