CRC Benefits

Tools + Intel

Stay ahead of the curve with Tools + Intel from CRC Benefits, your premier source for reliable and insightful updates on the latest trends and critical compliance news in the health, life, and employee benefits insurance industry.

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Blog listing

Screenshot 2026-07-24 at 1.17.45 PM
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Your Best Clients Are About to Outgrow You

New data is flipping the PEO pitch on its head. Businesses that partner with a PEO grow twice as fast, fail 50% less often, and see lower turnover, and 87% of businesses without one say they're already interested. The smallest, fastest-growing clients in your book may be the ones most ready for this conversation, if it's framed around where they're headed instead of what's broken.

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Form 5500: Don't Get Caught Off Guard

Some advisors still think Form 5500 is a retirement plan filing, until a client gets a penalty notice for their health and welfare plan. Group health plans with 100+ participants have to file, the deadline (or October 15 with an extension) is closer than it looks, and the DOL's civil penalties climb with no cap. For clients who already missed it, there's still a path forward.

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When Traditional Group Health Stops Making Sense

More clients are showing up to renewal, not asking for a better rate, but questioning the model itself. With family premiums past $27,000 and ACA penalty exposure climbing, MEC and MVP plans paired with worksite benefits are giving brokers a compliant, affordable structure to offer instead, one that often opens the door to employers who never had a viable path to coverage before.

Book of Business_26-1869
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Your Book of Business Is Already Telling You Where to Grow

The best growth signals may already be inside the current book. Missed reviews, prior cost concerns, household changes, aging-in opportunities, and plan-fit issues can show where outreach should happen before enrollment season picks up. A stronger book review helps prioritize the right conversations, protect relationships, and find coverage opportunities already connected to clients you serve.

Screenshot 2026-06-17 at 11.54.33 AM
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State PFML Is Expanding. Here’s What to Watch

Paid family and medical leave is becoming a bigger benefits planning issue, especially for multi-state employers. New programs can affect payroll deductions, employer contributions, notices, reporting, private plan decisions, leave administration, and how PFML coordinates with disability, PTO, and other paid leave. Reviewing the details early can help clients prepare before deadlines reach payroll

Screenshot 2026-06-22 at 9.03.20 AM
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The Hidden MEWA Risk Employers Need to Understand

When a client asks whether 1099 contractors can join the group health plan, it may sound like a simple eligibility question. It is not. Contractor classification, plan document language, carrier rules, tax treatment, and federal and state requirements all matter. A small exception can create MEWA concerns, reporting obligations, state regulatory exposure, and fiduciary risk

A Midyear Compliance Check Can Protect the Plan and the Client Relationship
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A Midyear Compliance Check Can Protect the Plan and the Client Relationship

Midyear is the right time to catch compliance gaps before they become bigger plan problems. Required notices, compensation disclosures, leave policies, and Section 125 testing all deserve a closer look. Clear documentation and consistent administration help protect the plan, support the client relationship, and keep employers from relying on memory or exceptions .

Voluntary and Worksite Benefits_ The Overlooked Growth Lever
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Voluntary and Worksite Benefits: The Overlooked Growth Lever

Voluntary and worksite benefits can do more than round out a package. When built with clear purpose, they help employees manage income gaps, out-of-pocket exposure, and financial stress without requiring employers to absorb the full cost. Stronger strategy, better education, and claims support can make these benefits easier to understand, use, and defend throughout the plan year ahead.

Playbook
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The New Broker Playbook: Where Growth Is Actually Coming From

Uncertainty is nothing new in benefits. What’s different heading into 2026 is the pace of change and the pressure on employers to act before guidance is fully settled. Dive in as we reframe uncertainty as a moment for stronger process, clearer roles, and better documentation.

PEO
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Multi-State Complexity Is Making PEO Conversations More Strategic

As employers expand across state lines, payroll, leave, compliance, and HR coordination become harder to manage consistently. What starts as manageable growth can quickly turn into operational drag. A more strategic review of support structure, internal capacity, and long-term fit can help bring the PEO conversation in earlier and keep it focused on the needs of the business.

mental health
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Mental Health Parity is Back in Focus

Mental health parity is drawing renewed scrutiny, even as enforcement signals continue to shift. That leaves employers with a familiar challenge: how to evaluate access, oversight, and plan performance when the rules may feel less settled. Stronger visibility into comparative analysis, vendor accountability, and real-world access can help bring that conversation back into focus.

Value Add
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Beyond The Core Plan: Where Value Can Show Up All Year

Core medical coverage may anchor the strategy, but it is often the issues surrounding the plan that create the most day-to-day friction. Compliance questions, administrative strain, and employee confusion can make a solid program feel harder to manage than it should. Broader support in the right areas can create stronger touchpoints, and make value easier to see throughout the year.