Each year, businesses offer employees the opportunity to sign up for, reevaluate, change, cancel, or otherwise adjust their healthcare plan during the open enrollment period. This timeframe also applies to individuals who participate in government-based Marketplace health plans on some level, which has an enrollment deadline in mid-August.

Generally, employees are not able to engage in any insurance-related activity outside the open enrollment timeframe. However, there are some exceptions to the rule.

To help employees interested in changing health insurance outside of open enrollment, keep reading.

The efforts to recognize mental health issues as critical as physical issues have gone on for several decades. Finally, in 1996, the Mental Health Parity Act (MHPA) was enacted to prohibit large group health plans from imposing limits on mental health benefits, especially when less than favorable limits were imposed on surgical or medical benefits.

When companies start to approach the big 5-0 in terms of staffing, Human Resource (HR) teams face new levels of intensity when it comes to legal matters. It’s far easier to maintain a one-on-one approach to employee relations and compliance with smaller numbers. However, once your business reaches the level of success where you need more people to drive that momentum, you incur more risk.

More than a year since the start of the pandemic, we are continuing to monitor the ripple effects on business operations worldwide. As one of the most highly visible – and scrutinized – sectors of the economy, the health insurance sector was forced to grapple with an extraordinary crisis. Although insurance analysts will be studying the influence of COVID-19 for years to come – and some of the pandemic’s effects have yet to be determined – here’s what we know about the impact of COVID-19 on the insurance market so far.

The medical insurance landscape looks a lot different today than it did two decades ago. At one point in time, quality, employer-backed medical insurance was a given. However, with the persistent rise in healthcare costs since the early 2000s, employers have had to reassess health insurance plans and determine what makes the most sense for both the business and employees. In some instances, employers have had to make the tough decision to cut back on the health insurance benefits offered.

Health insurance is an essential benefit that everyone needs. Medical bills are one of the top reasons individuals file for bankruptcy in the United States. The cost of healthcare is also one of the top stressors for Americans.

Health insurance provides financial security for illnesses, accidents, and injuries. Without medical insurance, individuals are often faced with letting their overall health go unchecked or face mounds of debt due to medical bills accumulated from catastrophic events or chronic illness.

Owning and operating a business requires the purchase of insurance to mitigate risks associated with potential losses. Examples of essential business policies are property insurance, professional liability insurance, and commercial auto insurance. However, another necessary insurance policy many business owners overlook is business interruption insurance.

Business interruption insurance helps a business stay afloat if a temporary closure occurs due to covered perils. Without business interruption insurance, a company forced to close temporarily due to something like a fire or a hurricane would face dealing with income losses out of pocket. Many small businesses do not have the financial resources available to support payroll and other operating expenses when there is a loss of income due to forced closure.

For those who are in the construction business, there are certain insurance policies you need to carry to protect your project and business. Without the right coverage level, companies could face a substantial loss due to potential lawsuits or damages.

Construction liability insurance and builders risk insurance are two essential insurance policies for every construction project. Though many think these two types of insurance policies are interchangeable, that is not the case. Each covers and excludes different risks and damages, as outlined below.

Health insurance is essential to help cover medical costs. However, the patient can easily get confused when they need to determine which of their doctor visits and medical expenses will be covered versus those that won’t. It becomes even more confusing when the patient’s doctor is unexpectedly gone from their current health plan.

The question comes down to whether your doctors and other healthcare providers are in network vs out of network.

More and more people are turning to chiropractic care to treat acute and chronic pain and disorders of the nervous and musculoskeletal system. According to the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), the use of chiropractors increased from 9.1% to 10.3% from 2012 to 2017. Per the American Chiropractic Association, it is estimated that more than 35 million Americans see chiropractors each year.