Open enrollment is almost here

Open enrollment is almost here

by | Oct 11, 2018

It’s that time of year again. Open enrollment is around the corner. For many companies, this is the best time to review the health care needs of the organization. And with unemployment rates nearing historic lows, many businesses are enhancing their benefits package to recruit and retain top talent.

As some of you may be aware, enrollment in Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) and Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs) has been on the rise over the last several years. Participation in flex-benefit plans is part of a growing trend for employees looking for perks at work. This holds especially true for Millennials, the largest generation in today’s workforce.

This is where NueSynergy can help

NueSynergy offers a fully integrated suite of administration services, managed by subject matter experts with an average of 10 years direct industry experience. Our administration services include:

Flexible Spending Arrangements
Health Savings Accounts
Health Reimbursement Arrangements
COBRA
Direct Bill
Consolidated Billing

Further, NueSynergy has the in-house expertise and integrated technology to help employers maximize operational efficiencies and control rising health care costs. Our commitment to outstanding client service ensures employees have the tools and resources to manage the financial aspect of their health care. By making innovations such as insurance carrier integration, single platform administration as well as single debit card and mobile app access to all plans part of our standard solution, we have quite simply raised the bar in benefit value and overall experience.

Open enrollment and beyond

In today’s modern workforce, it’s critical for employers to recognize the role that engaged employees play in driving sustainable company growth and success. By taking the time to educate and engage with employees about their benefits package, employers can better identify what programs and services employees and their families value the most. By taking this approach, employers better position themselves to create a healthier and more productive workforce.

So if you’re looking to add flex-benefits to your company’s health plan, or need help effectively communicating and educating your employees about their available benefits, please give us a call or send us an email! We’re here to help.

Please contact us today at sales@nuesynergy.com or 855.890.7239 to schedule your consultation today.

Open enrollment is almost here

Brett Flanagan joins NueSynergy as Western Regional Director

by | Sep 10, 2018

Given the growth and geographical expansion of NueSynergy, the company has created a Western Regional Director position that will be held by Brett Flanagan. Based in Phoenix, AZ, Brett will be responsible for retaining existing clients and developing new partners within the region.

Brett Flanagan is a respected expert with over 20 years experience in the benefits administration space. Always driven to succeed, Brett expanded his previous employer from a regional to national player – largely thanks to his tremendous understanding of employee benefits.

“This is an exciting time for NueSynergy and Brett is a great fit for this position. I’m confident his experience, along with the relationships he’s developed over the past two decades, will help grow our client base and drive our company goals. We are delighted to have him on board,”” said Josh Collins, president of NueSynergy.

Since 1996, NueSynergy has been an innovative leader in providing full-service administration of consumer-driven and traditional account-based plans. The company has grown into one of the largest benefit account administrators providing Health Savings Accounts (HSA), Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) and Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRA); in addition to COBRA, Direct Premiums Billing and Consolidated Billing services to employers of all sizes and sectors including state and local governments as well as private and publicly traded companies.

With the addition of Brett, NueSynergy will be able to offer the following administrative services to the Western United States:

– Flexible Spending Arrangements
– Health Savings Accounts
– Health Reimbursement Arrangements
– COBRA
– Direct Bill
– Consolidated Billing

NueSynergy will also bring into the region its in-house expertise and integrated technology to help employers maximize operational efficiencies and control rising health care costs. The company’s commitment to outstanding client service ensures employees have the tools and resources to manage the financial aspect of their health care. With over 4 million benefits accounts administered on the company’s platform, NueSynergy’s investment in industry leading technology ensures that clients will always have secure and convenient access to their benefits account.

NueSynergy’s core purpose is helping people protect their quality of life and it is driven by a desire to provide superior customer service, while performing ethically and professionally. With the ever changing regulatory landscape, the company’s core purpose has continued to evolve as focusing on helping customers truly understand the value of their benefits account, while striving for even greater industry and product expertise.

Open enrollment is almost here

A quick and easy guide to ensure COBRA compliance

by | Aug 8, 2018

The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) is a complex and detailed law protecting employees and qualified beneficiaries once they have been removed from their group health coverage due to a qualifying event. Despite its complexity, employers, employees and plan administrators are still accountable for staying in compliance with it.

One important aspect of staying compliant is awareness of the law’s key requirements and deadlines. With several various requirements and each requirement having a specific time span, saying it can be difficult to follow is an understatement. This a quick and easy guide to some basic COBRA compliancy requirements you may have overlooked.

First and foremost, we have listed qualifying events and which entity is responsible for notifying the plan administrator in each circumstance:

The employer is responsible for notifying the plan administrator within 30 days if the qualifying event is employee death, termination, reduction of hours, eligibility for Medicare or bankruptcy of a private-sector employer.

OR

The qualified beneficiary is responsible for notifying the plan administrator if the qualifying event is divorce, legal separation, or a change in dependent status. The time limit for this notice is determined by the plan administrator, but must be at least 60 days.

Furthermore, we have outlined 5 additional key requirements and their deadlines to make your COBRA compliancy as easy as possible.

After being notified of the qualifying event, the plan administrator has 14 days to provide participants with an election notice.
You must provide the covered employee and their spouse a general notice informing them of their COBRA rights within the first 90 days of the coverage.
The plan must provide a Summary Plan Description to the employee within 90 days of them participating in the plan.
The qualified beneficiaries must have a minimum of 60 days to choose to elect COBRA or not.
COBRA offers a maximum coverage time of 18 months, 29 months, or 36 months depending on the qualifying event. Special circumstances, like disability or a second qualifying event, can extend an 18 month coverage.
Outside of meeting deadlines, there are other specific standards that must be met for continuation coverage. For example:

The provided coverage must be identical to the plan the qualified beneficiaries were covered under prior to COBRA.
In the case the employee is required to pay for the continuation coverage, the cost can only be 102% of the full cost of the plan. The additional 2% may be charged as an administration fee.
If the coverage is terminated early, the plan must give notice to the plan participant as soon as possible and the notice must provide more detailed information on the termination like when it will be terminated and why.
Now you have the basics to start ensuring COBRA compliancy in your business practices. For more specific information or further questions, the Department of Labor produced a guide for employers dealing with COBRA that you can find here.

Open enrollment is almost here

ICYMI: NueSynergy announces partnership with Employee Navigator

by | Mar 27, 2018

As an innovative leader for over two decades in providing full-service administration of consumer-driven and traditional account-based plans, we’re always looking for new ways at NueSynergy to raise the bar in benefit value and overall experience for our clients and employer partners.

As part of these efforts, we’ve recently partnered with Employee Navigator, one of the fastest growing SaaS-based benefits and HR platforms in the United States.

Through this partnership, we will streamline the process of providing clients an array of capabilities ranging from consolidated billing services to traditional benefits administration and online enrollment. Employee Navigator is the preferred software provider for more than 18,000 companies and 2 million employees nationwide.

Below you will find a list of our products currently integrated with Employee Navigator and how they can benefit you and your company:

FSA, HRA, HSA ACCOUNTS

– Single system of record for all tax favored accounts
– Carrier integration for enhanced claim filing and substantiation
– Smart, intuitive debit card takes the effort out of managing funds
– True mobile app with AI feature
– Educational campaigns helping employees get the most of their benefits
– Dedicated account manager for each group

COBRA
– Custom Qualifying Event notice sent to employees, spouses and dependents informing them of ability to elect
– COBRA continuation of coverage
– Dedicated COBRA account manager
– COBRA premium payment management
– COBRA audit support

DIRECT BILL
– Invoice, collect and simplify paperwork associated with Leave of Absence (LOA), Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Retiree Billing and other billing needs
– Flexible, non-COBRA employer-directed premium billing and collection processing
– Improved employer cash flow through increased accuracy, timely billing and access to back-up documentation

CONSOLIDATED BILLING
– Receive initial and ongoing group enrollment information via Employee Navigator
– Pull monthly statements from each carrier once authorized by employer
– Audit carrier bills against our system of record for accuracy
– Single bill for all carriers with detailed report on enrollees, elections and premium amounts
– Remit payment in the amount due to each carrier
– Initiate one ACH debit for total amount due to all carriers

Open enrollment is almost here

Employer Mandate Penalties Increase for 2016

by | Nov 6, 2016

As most employers know by now, companies with 50 or more full-time equivalent employees are required to offer affordable health coverage that provides minimum value to their full-time employees starting in 2015 or face a significant penalty. Those that don’t offer coverage to at least 95% of their full-timers pay an “across-the-board” penalty of $2,000 per full-time employee with the first 30 excluded. Those that do offer coverage pay a $3,000 on each full-time employee that actually receives a tax credit.

What employers may not know, though, is that the penalty amounts are adjusted annually for inflation. In 2016, the across-the-board penalty increases from $2,000 to $2,160 per year while the per-employee penalty increases from $3,000 to $3,240.

The Kaiser Family Foundation has created a great flowchart to illustrate how the penalties work.