Allen Steinberg : Perspectives

Employee benefit plans—especially retirement and health care—have become an increasingly important part of the employment relationship. For employers, these plans represent an important part of the total compensation package, a tool for retention and recruitment, and a growing financial and compliance burden. For employees, these plans represent a key part of their overall financial security and wellbeing, a financial burden, and a source of complexity and frustration. In effect, it’s complicated. Our firm is dedicated to helping employers manage these complexities and focus on the important things.

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Allen Steinberg

24.05.2017 07.20 CDT

Workers are choosing to stay in the workforce beyond normal retirement age. This is good news.

Retirement Patterns: Are Workers Outsmarting the Experts?

American workers are making progress on improving their retirement picture

Retirement income workforce

An increasing number of workers are choosing to stay in the workforce – many on a part-time basis. In effect, these workers have created their own phased retirement program. This ongoing employment contributes to retirement income adequacy and can be viewed as a key part of solving the challenges posed by past errors (such as low savings and insufficient diversification).

John Enyart

01.05.2017 12.47 CDT

Telemedicine helps reduce health care costs and improve outcomes – and could do more if regulators let it.

Telemedicine: Poised for Takeoff or Frustration?

For individuals who cannot travel or live in remote areas, telehealth can provide critical evaluation and condition management support.

cost savings telehealth Telemedicine

Telemedicine - which includes a variety of electronic media to provide medical services and monitor patients with certain chronic conditions – holds much promise for reducing costs and improving outcomes. What are the obstacles to achieving even greater results?

Allen Steinberg

22.04.2017 08.54 CDT

New York state’s new paid family leave act is going into effect soon; time for employers to start thinking about the effects.

Paid Family Leave: Next Benefits Frontier or New Battleground?

Employees in New York will be able to take paid family leave to care for a family member or bond with a new child. This new law is far-reaching and generous. And, it may affect the national debate over paid family leave.

Congress new law Paid Family Leave

New York State’s new paid family leave law will allow employees to receive up to 67% for 12 weeks to care for a family member or bond with a new child. New York is now the fourth state to implement a paid family. This means all employers need to start paying attention to this issue.

John Enyart

19.04.2017 10.53 CDT

Gaps in health literacy hinder Americans’ ability to participate in important health care decisions or to follow medical advice.

Health Literacy: What Is It and Why It Matters

Health Literacy provides us a chance to prevent being herded into bad decisions.

choices complexity Health literacy patient advocacy

Many Americans have difficulty making important decisions about their health care and understanding important medical information.

Allen Steinberg

19.04.2017 06.23 CDT

While the debate over replacing the Affordable Care Act continues, it is also important to focus on the law that currently controls the American health care system – the ACA. The Trump Administration has been sending conflicting signals about how it will administer the Affordable Care Act. These conflicting signals may prove to be disruptive to insurance markets - and to individuals.

Multiple Personalities: The Administration’s Approach to the ACA

Trump Administration’s statements – and actions – on the Affordable Care Act look like a case of multiple personalities inhabiting the same body.

cost sharing reductions exchanges insurance companies subsidies

The Trump Administration’s approach to interpreting and administering the ACA – and the conflicting messages being sent by the Administration – matter. Here are some of the consequences of these conflicting messages.