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Employee Benefit News for School, City and County Employers

Steve Smith

Steve Smith, Employee Benefits Consultant for National Insurance Services, has his energy level permanently set at “high.” His maxim is “work hard, play hard.” Steve’s an expert in getting groups of people working together for a higher cause. Minnesota schools, cities, and counties rely on Steve’s unique and creative ideas of engaging employees in their own health and wellness to lower utilization trends. He has 20+ years in the health insurance field doing compliance, cost mitigation, utilization, analytics, wellness plans, and strategic planning. Steve is a licensed insurance agent and holds the designations for Managed Healthcare Professional (The Health Insurance Association of America), Certified Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Professional (National Association of Health Underwriters), and Group Benefits Disability Specialist (Hartford School of Insurance). He specializes in Employee Benefits Consulting for Minnesota schools, cities, and counties including fully insured, self-insured, and stop-loss plans.

Recent Articles by Steve Smith

The Six Benefits of Telemedicine

2 minute 30 second read

More and more, public sector organizations are adding telemedicine providers as an alternative way to receive acute care for run-of-the mill illnesses like colds and flu. Why?...

3 Ways Employers Can Reach Out During the Opioid Crisis

2 minute read

The opioid crisis in the United States has reached alarming peaks. The extent of its reach may have touched someone you know, whether it’s a co-worker, spouse, or other family member....

5 Ways to Engage Employees in Your Wellness Program

More and more, public sector employers are investing in wellness programs hoping to slow down health insurance premium escalation. A healthier workforce can lead to a reduction in claims, fewer...

Final Wellness Plan Rules Remove Incentive Limits

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has removed the incentive limits from its final wellness plan rules effective January 1, 2019. The rules had allowed employers to offer wellness...

Using Generational Messaging to Discuss Benefits

Your organization is a melting pot of employees from different generations and life stages. While one employee is planning to expand their family, another one is moving towards retirement.

Claim Analysis: A Prescription for your Health Insurance

When’s the last time your health insurance plan had a check-up? Do you know what your loss ratio is? Are you paying more premiums than you should? If you don’t know the answer to these questions, now...

5 Tools to Make Your Wellness Plan Bloom

Let’s say your wellness plan is a sunflower. What does your flower look like? Is it a tiny sprout in the ground pushing through the dirt? Is it tall and waving in the breeze? Or is it in-between –...

How to encourage school, city and county employees in medical consumerism

When you decide to purchase a new car, most people don’t go to the dealership, randomly point to a car in the lot and say 'I’ll take that one'. Usually, there is a bit of research involved with...