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Legislation
March 1, 2021

What is the No Surprises Act?

On December 21, 2020, Congress passed a new bill, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, consists of several bills combined into one piece of legislation.  Legislators have been working for…
Annette Griffin
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Benefits Consulting
February 17, 2021

Covid-19 Continues to Push America into a Mental Health Crisis

Shortly after the pandemic, the world turned upside down, and the U.S. was on the brink of another health crisis. From isolation to suicide, the fear of the unknown for Americans…
Annette Griffin
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Benefits Consulting
February 5, 2021

CHRO Champions: People Over Policy: Manage People, Not Just Employees

Supporting your team’s work-life balance and mental health means seeing them as people, not just employees. Stephanie Forand, VP of Human Resources at Cicis, uses her own experiences with mental…
Team Totem
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Benefits Consulting
December 22, 2020

CHRO Champions: Finding Your ‘Why’ in HR

Before someone starts to really succeed in HR — or any field, for that matter — they have to uncover their ‘Why.’ Understanding your passion within HR is essential for…
Team Totem
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Medical Care During COVID-19Benefits Consulting
December 22, 2020

The Importance of Continued Medical Care During COVID-19

According to the CDC, by June 2020, 41% of the U.S. had delayed or avoided medical care including both routine and urgent or emergent care. Delay and avoidance of medical…
Annette Griffin
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Benefits Consulting
December 10, 2020

CHRO Champions: How to Leverage Transferable Skills in HR

Not all great HR leaders start out in the field. In fact, some — like Quentin Misenheimer — transition into HR after the Army, leadership skills in tow. In this episode, Quentin,…
Team Totem
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Benefits Consulting
November 24, 2020

CHRO Champions: Health Information Exchange – Benefits & Challenges

It seems like everything is interconnected nowadays: smartphones with laptops, sleep patterns with fitness trackers, doorbells with light switches. Why can’t our health records have the same level of integration?…
Team Totem
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Benefits Consulting
November 20, 2020

CHRO Champions: Introducing CHRO Champions w/ Geoff Rowson

What do you get when you mix 4 generations of benefits consultants, a passion to help HR leaders, and one Shih Tzu named Weezy? You get Geoff Rowson, SVP of…
Geoff Rowson
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Quarterly Updates
June 25, 2020

Employers May Make Tax Deductible Payments to Employees for COVID-19 Expenses

The Federal government's ongoing legislation has provided timely relief for citizens and corporations facing the challenges caused by COVID-19, but there is an existing tax law that can also help…
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Health Spend ReductionMedical Consulting
June 18, 2020

Centers of Excellence Provide A Better Healthcare Model

Many employers have implemented a Centers of Excellence (COE) model in an effort to improve the quality of care for employees and reduce procedures caused by misdiagnoses and unnecessary treatment.…
Team Totem
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Benefits Consulting
June 15, 2020

Webinar: How to Make Healthcare Better for Employers

Each year the cost for healthcare continues to rise exponentially for employers, with no end in sight. The U.S. still consistently leads the world in per-capita healthcare costs, and still lags shockingly…
Team Totem
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Health Spend ReductionMedical Consulting
June 11, 2020

Health Rosetta: Quality Healthcare Costs Less

Health costs have soared over the past 30 years. Public and private employers have paid the majority of costs. In 2018, 158 million people in the US received their health…
Team Totem
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Health Spend ReductionMedical Consulting
June 4, 2020

Fast Health: Tampered Healthcare Costs By Reversing Diabetes

Fast Health: Tampered Healthcare Costs By Managing Reversing Diabetes In the U.S., obesity and diabetes have been on the rise for generations. The health complications and long-term consequences have reverberated…
Team Totem
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Benefits ConsultingQuarterly Updates
April 28, 2020

April 28, 2020 Expansion of COBRA and Health Plan Deadlines

A new IRS and DOL Notice entitled EBSA Disaster Relief Notice 2020-01 provides temporary relief from COBRA and health plan deadlines during the COVID-19 pandemic. What is the Outbreak Period?…
Team Totem
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Quarterly Updates
April 21, 2020

What Employers Should Know About Paid Leave Related to COVID-19

In the continued effort to reduce the developing challenges caused by the novel coronavirus, the U.S federal government enacted the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The legislation has two…
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Benefits ConsultingMedical Consulting
April 14, 2020

Patients vs Healthcare: the System’s Misaligned Incentives

If U.S. healthcare costs were the GDP of a country in 2019, it could have ranked 5th in the world, behind Germany with a GDP of $3.8 trillion and ahead…
Team Totem
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LeadershipQuarterly Updates
April 7, 2020

Summary of COVID-19 Legislative Initiatives

Bill Number 1 - COVID-19 Emergency Federal and State Funding On March 6, 2020, Congress passed a supplemental funding bill in the amount of $8.3 billion.  The deal includes: $3…
Team Totem
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Benefits ConsultingLeadershipQuarterly Updates
March 31, 2020

Maintaining Business Continuity in the Midst of COVID-19

More than ever, it is vital for businesses to adopt innovative solutions for the evolving challenges arising from the coronavirus pandemic. Whether a business requires onsite essential employees, has furloughed…
Team Totem
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Medical ConsultingQuarterly Updates
March 27, 2020

Medical Guide to Coronavirus (COVID-19)

How can you prevent the Coronavirus from infecting you? Fortify yourself now with these five steps...
Team Totem
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Benefits ConsultingOpen Enrollment
December 16, 2019

Open Enrollment: A Success Story for a Public School District

Open enrollment arrived like an ambush and was gone faster than a cappuccino order. Preparing for the time sensitive event carried significant importance that ultimately impacted the well-being and quality…
Team Totem
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Employee EngagementLeadership
December 4, 2019

Returnships – Live, Learn, Mentor

How the workplace has evolved to leverage retiree experience.
Team Totem
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Benefits ConsultingEmployee EngagementHealth Spend ReductionMedical ConsultingPharmacy Spend Reduction
October 28, 2019

Employee Benefits Consulting: A Complete Guide to Building a Competitive Package

What’s the secret to a fulfilled and engaged workforce in the modern age?   Three words: employee benefits consulting. For today’s workforce, employee benefits are the key to remaining competitive,…
Team Totem
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Medical ConsultingPharmacy Spend Reduction
July 31, 2019

6 Ways Your PBM is Ripping You Off (and what you can do about it)

Despite significant pressure from the federal government, PBMs are winning, while employers and patients are struggling to keep up with the increasing costs. In every other industry, innovation has led…
Geoff Rowson
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Health Spend ReductionMedical Consulting
July 16, 2019

9 Takeaways from the World Healthcare Congress

The World Healthcare Congress in DC earlier this month was a phenomenal event, and I’ve shared a few key takeaways below. Employers are still facing significant challenges in finding their…
Team Totem
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Uncategorized
April 3, 2019

Increase Retention with a Properly Designed HRA

In today’s market, top talent is in short supply, and creating the right culture is critical for success.   Giving employees a sense of value and appreciation through great benefits has…
Christi Paralitici
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Medical Consulting
March 15, 2019

3 Pitfalls of the HSA

The HSA was launched in 2004 with great excitement from the employee benefits community. It was crafted with the intention of empowering consumers to make better healthcare decisions. And it’s…
Team Totem
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Employee Engagement
March 3, 2019

Service or Technology Focus? Why Not Both?

Technology will never eliminate the need for human interaction.  The proper combination of technology and service allows you to keep pace with the digital world while offering personalized, trained assistance.…
Team Totem
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Leadership
January 28, 2019

Why Criticism Leads to Stronger Leadership

It’s been said that if you are not being criticized as a leader, you are not doing it right. Being held to higher standards than others is part of the…
Team Totem
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Benefits ConsultingQuarterly Updates
July 27, 2017

EBA’s 2017 Most Influential Women in Benefit Advising

Employee Benefit Advisor recently awarded our own Debbie Schultz one of 2017's most influential women in benefit advising.  Award recipients are based on achievements related to women mentorship, unique solutions to client…
Annette Griffin
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Employee EngagementQuarterly Updates
July 1, 2017

Improve Employee Engagement with Text Messaging

This spring, Gallup released the findings of its annual State of the American Workplace survey, that revealed 70% of the workforce is disengaged. Look around your workplace and try to…
Annette Griffin
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