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

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.

Allen Steinberg

01.04.2017 05.54 CDT

You have a number of decisions to make in buying health care. This can be a real challenge…and is not going to get any better.

Your Money…and Your Life

Your next steps with health care require careful choices and personal responsibility

consumerism Deductible Health Care Costs Health Plans HRA HSAs

Health care is complicated – not just for politicians, but for consumers. You have a number of choices to make in buying health care and those choices require understanding some complicated topics. The challenges in shopping for health care are only going to increase, regardless of who wins the political wars over health care.

Allen Steinberg

30.03.2017 11.02 CDT

The drive to reduce corporate tax rates will send Congress looking for new sources of revenue. Employee benefit plans…look out.

Tax Reform: More Challenges for Employee Benefit Plans

Tax reform regarding employee benefit plans may come under attack by legislators.

401(k) Health Plans retirement plan limits tax expenditure

Tax breaks for employee benefit plans represent a significant loss of revenue for the federal government. In the movement to reduce corporate taxes – and offset reduced federal revenue from those tax cuts - employee benefit plans represent an attractive target for legislators.