“Our CFO is now burdened with acting as a human resources and benefits officer as well,” says Bijan Golkar, a financial advisor who offers health-care coverage to a staff of five in his Petaluma, Calif., office.
Golkar found that premiums increased 55% per person when he switched the firm from a non-deductible to a high-deductible plan.
“That’s not including the contribution we make to their health savings accounts,” Golkar says.
For a single person, Golkar reports that his firm, FPC Investment Advisory, pays $3,000 per year into an HSA and $6,450 for a family.
Under the law, when larger financial advisory businesses employ more than 50 workers, they are subject to additional reporting requirements. “If staff members work more than 30 hours a week, an employer must provide the minimum health insurance coverage,” Hower says. “Employers have to track working hours, calculate the averaging and offer coverage or face penalties.”