Talking Benefits

Did you know there are at least 40 potential areas of employee benefit plan regulations and legislation to watch in 2025 and beyond? In this episode we discuss the things employee benefits professionals should have on their radar in this new presidential administration. Read our colleague, Jenny Gartman's wonderful blog at www.ifebp.org/blog Watch the webcast we discuss at www.ifebp.org/webcasts

In this last episode of the year we're recapping all the big benefits news from 2024.

We talk with Vikki Walton, a leader of health equity on how employers can decrease disparities among their employees' and improve the health of employees and their families with benefit offerings and workplace culture.

On this episode, we revisit the topic of mental health initiatives, in honor of World Mental Health Day on October 10th. Catch our Mental Health in the Workplace Virtual Conference on October 9th! Learn more at https://www.ifebp.org/education---events/virtual-education-and-webcasts/virtual-conferences---workshops/mental-health-in-the-workplace-virtual-conference/home

On this Benefits Bonus episode, we take a look at the results of our 2024 Employee Benefits Survey and see how the industry of employee benefits is changing.

This episode we chat about ERISA and its many impacts then, now and in the future.

This month, we focus on the state of GLP-1 drug coverage, and how it is effecting the benefits community.

We talk all things women's health and well-being with Dr. Lana Saal – how women's health issues impact the workforce, why employers should care and how they can help. Dr. Saal gives us the details on how new benefits or simple tweaks to your existing benefit plan can make a huge positive impact on the lives of your staff, your workplace culture and your organization's productivity.

On this episode, we discuss the recent regulatory releases out of Washington D.C. and what they mean for the health benefits industry.

This month the Pod Squad discusses the trends we're seeing in employer financial education benefits and how educating employees on their personal finances can better your organization. Find all of the International Foundation resources and tools Anne and Julie discussed here: http://www.ifebp.org/retirementsecurity

This week, we focus on this years theme for National Employee Benefits Day, which is addressing loneliness in the workplace and what employers can do to help. Visit www.ifebp.org/benefitsday for more information about the best day of the year!

We dive into the many options and why employers may want to consider offering benefits for family-forming services like IFV, egg harvesting, egg and sperm freezing, surrogacy, etc.

Artificial Intelligence seems to be taking the world by storm, but can it be applied to employee benefits? We dive into how this new technology can help benefits professionals and when they should be cautious. This episode is an audio read of a Word on Benefits blog post. Read the post here: https://blog.ifebp.org/three-ways-to-use-ai-in-employee-benefits/

In what has become a Talking Benefits tradition, we're recapping all the big benefits news from 2023 in this last episode of the year. Here are links to all of the International Foundation content we mention in this episode: 2022 Employee Benefits Survey results https://ifebp.org/store/employee-benefits-survey/Pages/default.aspx Workplace Mental Health Toolkit http://www.ifebp.org/mentalhealth Web...

Talking Benefits producer, Stacy Van Alstyne, shares her recent Word on Benefits blog post on the best practices in addressing mental health in the workplace. You can read Stacy's blog post here: https://blog.ifebp.org/six-steps-to-addressing-mental-health-in-the-workplace/ The International Foundation's Word on Benefits blog has many other great posts on a bevy of benefits topics: https://blog.if...

Caregiving, whether it be for children or older relatives, can impact employees' retirement security long into their golden years. In this episode, we talk with Craig Copeland, Ph. D. from the Employee Benefit Research Institute on how caregiving affects employees, who it affects, how it affects the broader economy and how employers can help.

ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence tool, is making headlines. But, does it have any place in the employee benefits industry? We talked to some human experts to find out. Read Kathy's post and many other great blog posts on the International Foundation's Word on Benefits Blog: https://blog.ifebp.org/

More and more states are stepping up to fill the savings gap for individuals who don't have access to employer-sponsored retirement plans. In this episode we talk to Christine Cheng, Director of the Illinois SECURE CHOICE program on how Illinois employers fit into the program, and Kim Olson, Senior Officer on the Retirement Savings Project at the Pew Charitable Trusts on what the data tells us abo...

Employee Benefits are an important part of life in any galaxy. In what has become a sort of Talking Benefits tradition, we're celebrating Star Wars Day with an imagining of the inner workings of benefits administration in a galaxy far, far away. As it turns out, it can be a bit tricky when your participants are separated by several light years or frozen in carbonite. This bonus episode is a readin...

In this episode we're talking financial well-being with two staffers from the United States Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) on how your employees' finances can impact your organization and how employers can help their employees become more financially secure. Check out the CFPB resources mentioned in this episode: https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/educator-tools/financial-...

Could education benefits help your organization recruit and retain talent? In this episode we'll school you on the various options available to employers in this area. (see what we did there?) Check out the items mentioned in this episode: Student loan benefits pulse survey: https://ifebp.org/store/Pages/student-loan-survey.aspx 2022 Employee Benefits survey results: https://ifebp.org/store/employ...

Host Anne shares a blog she wrote on the uptick of employers offering fertility and family forming benefits in order to attract and retain talent. Read this blog post in full here: https://blog.ifebp.org/fertility-benefits-rapidly-rising-as-employers-look-to-attract-and-support-talent/ Check out the results of the 2022 Employee Benefits Survey discussed in this episode here: https://ifebp.org/stor...

We're diving into the Secure Act 2.0 and what it means for employer and plan sponsors. Read the blog post that inspired this episode here: https://blog.ifebp.org/what-plan-sponsors-need-to-know-after-the-passage-of-secure-2-0-act-of-2022/ Stay up-to-date with the International Foundation's Secure Act 2.0 webpage: https://www.ifebp.org/Resources/benefits-transition-tracker/Pages/secure-act.aspx Che...

Another year is coming to an end and we reflect on all that has happened in the benefits industry in 2022 with a Charles Dickens twist. You'll hear the tale of Ebenefits Scrooge and the ghosts of Benefits Past, Present and Future! Check out links to the items we discussed in this episode: https://www.ifebp.org/Resources/Pages/dobbs-decision.aspx https://blog.ifebp.org/inflation-reduction-act-6-hea...

The workplace landscape is still evolving in the wake of the pandemic. In this episode we dive into how organizations are reacting to workplace changes and reflecting them in their annual salary increases and total rewards packages. Check out the survey featured in this episode here: https://www.ifebp.org/salaryTR Read the blog post we based this episode on here: https://blog.ifebp.org/68-of-emplo...