Does Your Business Need Some Healthcare 101?

Think of this post as a course in American healthcare 101...

Photo by CC user 115089924@N02 on Flickr

With Obamacare having grabbed the headlines in recent years, many businesses (and individuals for that matter) have had to adjust how they go about doing things when it comes to healthcare.

The days of turning a blind eye to having health insurance are all but gone, especially given the fines now in place for those opting not to be covered.

With that being the case, both businesses and individuals need to be cognizant of the latest in healthcare rules and regulations, knowing how they are impacted with and without health insurance in 2016 and beyond.

One of the ways to better familiarize yourself with all the latest in healthcare initiatives is by turning to experts in the industry.

Learn from Those Who Truly Know

So that you can have a better grasp of what is going on in the healthcare world, turning to people with the necessary knowledge on health care topics at LeadingAuthorities.com or other such experts, you will be able to be more educated on this important part of life.

Such experts can brief both businesses and individuals on the healthcare field in general, where attention is still desperately needed to improve matters, what lawmakers and others are looking at in terms of potential rule changes, and how Obamacare is and isn’t assisting both patients and medical professionals now and potentially in the future.

Whether one turns to experts or not; business owners, medical professionals and consumers can all learn more about the importance of healthcare reform these last several years.

Breaking it down, here’s how the following can gain more knowledge:

 

  • Business owners – When it was announced several years ago that Obamacare was a done deal, many in the business community (especially smaller businesses) began to fret. What would they be responsible for as far as making sure their employees were covered? Would mandatory coverage perhaps lead to laying off employees or asking some of them to go from full-time to part-time? Would exorbitant costs ultimately lead to businesses going under? To this day, many business owners remain concerned about where health insurance is headed. For those who run businesses, having experts in the field come in and give a talk about the current state of affairs can certainly be beneficial;
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  • Consumers – Even though many consumers (in the millions) lost their health insurance several years ago due to the beginning of Obamacare, millions of others gained healthcare coverage for the first time. That said many consumers still to this day struggle with affording their health insurance costs. If you’re one of those individuals (especially if you have a family to cover), it is important to learn about the different options on the table for you. If you decided to forgo health insurance, keep in mind that you will be find on a yearly basis. What started out as a fine of less than $100 just a few years ago is now several hundred dollars and growing yearly. Hearing from experts in the healthcare industry, especially as it relates to where costs and coverages may be headed, can assist individuals in what is best for them to do moving forward;
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  • Medical professionals – For those in the medical profession, they are just as impacted as anyone else by the recent changes in health insurance. It is important to note that some (mostly doctors) have stated they might have to give up their practices to either retire early or go into other areas of the medical profession. Once again, doctors, nurses and others in the medical field are well-served by knowing as much about the current state of health insurance nationwide as anyone.

As the healthcare industry (especially as it pertains to health insurance) continues to evolve, millions of people would be wise to learn as much as possible about what is going on.

If they choose not to, they could be blindsided by higher costs and more regulations as time moves on.

With professionals out there who are well-versed in what is going on in the medical field, look to them today to see how they can help you individually or as a professional better understand the complicated world that is healthcare 101.

 

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Is Your Home Business Organized?

Is Your Home Business Organized?

Photo by CC user Unsplash on pixabay

Running a home business can be one of the greatest satisfactions in life.

For starters, you have the personal freedom of setting your own hours, thereby avoiding being on another person’s clock.

You also avoid potentially long commutes to work, thereby saving yourself gas money and ultimately wear-and-tear on your vehicle.

Finally, owning your own home business allows you to be the person calling the shots, especially as it relates to your clients.

While it is not uncommon for home business owners to have one or more part-time employees helping them, they still have final say over decisions.

So, it sounds like having your own home business is all positives and no negatives, yes?

While some may think that, true professionals know that is not the case.

All too often, home business owners will discover that they missed this or that financial matter, any of which can lead to issues with filing their taxes each spring.

They also know that they alone are responsible for finding their own healthcare insurance.

Unlike when you’re an employee of a company, wherein the HR department is typically responsible for such matters, home business owners take on that responsibility as well.

Is your home business organized as it can possibly be? If not, they can get some help along the way with all those financial and HR matters, reaching out to a professional employer organization (PEO) can make all the difference in the world.

Among the ways they can help:

  • Payroll services – This is one of the most critical aspects of your home business, especially when you have one or more part-time employees on your team. Those PT employees can provide a wealth of assistance to you, helping with tasks that you otherwise would be stuck doing. In return for their help, they of course need to be compensated. If doing payroll just takes up too much of your time, having the experts do it can prove a blessing;
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  • Workers comp – While the rules vary in most states, one thing is for certain. If you’re running a business and an employee of yours is injured on that property (or even someone coming to work on your property if it benefits your home business operation), he or she could file a workers compensation claim. What oftentimes gets smaller businesses (including some working out of homes) in trouble is either not having workers comp coverage altogether or trying to get around the law when it comes to filing etc. Yes, having the coverage and properly documenting when someone is injured working at your property can be expensive, but it is a much better alternative than trying to get away without the coverage and/or lying about a work-related accident. In one or both of those cases, your home business could very easily become financially strapped;
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  • Employee benefits – In most situations, employees are not eligible to obtain health insurance benefits when they do not work more than 30 hours a week. Some home business owners may hire one or more people to assist them in running their home company, albeit on a limited basis (a few hours a day or even just a few hours weekly). In some cases, however, a home business owner may determine he or she needs a FT assistant, perhaps even 35-40 hour a week. In those cases, the worker could be eligible for coverage. For those home business owners not up to speed on all the different HR requirements, having a PEO on their side makes sense.

If you’re searching for the right PEO as a home business owner, do your research before settling on one.

Look at how long the organization has been around, what services it offers, how business clients view its customer service initiatives, and what the costs would be to your home business in employing them.

Your home business could very well be the dream that you’ve had in the back or forefront of your mind for many years.

If that is the case, make sure you organize your dream as much as possible.

While running a home business takes lots of time and effort, the rewards (including financial ones) could set you up for the remainder of your life.

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