2026 PCORI Fee: $3.84 and Due July 31
The 2026 PCORI fee is $3.84 per covered life for plan years ending on or after October 1, 2025 — which includes every 2025 calendar-year plan — and it must be reported and paid to…
What Is a Buy-Sell Agreement? A Broker’s Guide
A buy-sell agreement is a legally binding contract among the owners of a business that spells out what happens to an owner’s share if they die, become disabled, retire, or otherwise leave. It controls three…
MEWAs Explained: When They Work and When They Don’t
A MEWA — multiple employer welfare arrangement — is a way for two or more unrelated employers to pool together and offer welfare benefits through a single arrangement. ERISA Section 3(40) defines it. The Department…
What Is Portability in Group Insurance? A Broker Guide
Portability in group insurance is the feature that lets an employee keep their employer-sponsored coverage after they leave the job. Most often it shows up on group term life policies, but it also appears on…
Keogh Plan: What It Is and Why the Name Stuck
A Keogh plan is a tax-deferred retirement plan for self-employed people and unincorporated businesses. If that sounds like a description of a half-dozen plans you already know, that’s the point: the IRS no longer uses…
Unilateral Contract Explained: What Brokers Should Know
A unilateral contract is an agreement where only one party makes a legally enforceable promise, and the other party accepts not by promising anything back but by performing an act. The classic textbook version is…
Insureds: What the Term Actually Means in Group Benefits
Open any insurance glossary on Google and “insureds” looks like a property and casualty term. Named insured, additional insured, certificate holder, contractor COIs — that’s the whole conversation. For benefits brokers, that’s the wrong frame….
Reinsurance Explained: A Benefits Broker’s Plain-English Guide
Reinsurance is insurance that insurance companies buy to protect themselves against catastrophic losses or unexpectedly high claims. The original insurer (called the “cedent”) transfers part of its risk to a reinsurer in exchange for part…
Contingent Beneficiary: A Benefits Broker’s Plain-English Guide
A contingent beneficiary is the backup recipient on a life insurance policy or benefits designation — the person or entity that gets paid only if every primary beneficiary is unable to receive the proceeds. “Unable…