Edan Barshan's (universalbenefitplans) Blog

Many assume that employees who are given a flexible schedule to pursue personal interests aren't as productive as those with set schedules. Often, workers who work odd hours are thought to put more effort into pursuing their personal issues that helping their company's bottom line. In a down eco...

In the coming months, Congress is set to begin the debate over healthcare reform. As the debate livens, you can expect to see small companies take a central role. Millions of workers at firms with less than 100 employees are currently without health coverage. The share of small companies offering...

Employee health insurance (or group health insurance) is the most popular benefit offered by employers in the U.S. It is a good idea to work with a health insurance agent when deciding on a group health insurance plan for your company. Your agent can help you in choosing an insurance plan that m...

Today’s economy is a mess. With the jobless rate increasing, and the economy continuing its downward spiral, it’s no surprise that many businesses have felt it necessary to cut their employee benefits packages. Although it may seem that cutting a benefits package may be a quick fix to save a comp...

For the purposes of the new ARRA Act COBRA subsidy, determining who qualifies as an Assistance Eligible Individual (AEI) due to an "involuntary termination" is a lot more complicated than many HR professionals think. That's why the IRS released Notice 2009-27 on April 1, 2009 and included in it b...

With today's current economic pressures, many employers face the difficult question: "Cut staff or cut benefits?"  And usually, the first benefit to go is the dental plan. However, having a dental plan is important to your employees and provides high morale and self-esteem. That's why we're here ...

With the shift in the economy, many businesses have been shopping around for more cost-effective group benefits for their employees. Business owners want to continue providing great benefits, but many are concerned with the expense. High deductible health benefits and health savings plans are alw...

It's so easy to just hand off HR duties to someone in the company who looks a bit underworked. HR is that department that always seems to be overflowing with unfinished tasks and not enough time. But it's such an important part of the company. At Universal Benefit Plans, we've created a system to...

More than half of US citizens suffering from their failing mortgage payments attempted to re-work their mortgages earlier this year to sidestep foreclosure. However, the re-working didn’t seem to help very much for most people; after only six months, many of them were late on payments once again....

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has increased the required frequency for employers’ Fair Share Contribution (FSC) filings. This mandated increase will become effective as of January 1, 2009. Employers will now be required to file an Employer Health Insurance Responsibility Disclosure (Employer ...