What is telemedicine and how is it being offered as an employee benefit by employers? In this episode of Winston & Strawn’s Benefits Blast Podcast, Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Partners Susan Nash and Jamie Weyeneth discuss the growth of telemedicine services and how this service is affecting health care delivery to employees. They will also discuss the benefits of telemedicine services, the legal drawbacks of utilization, privacy concerns, and will provide key takeaways for employers who are considering offering telemedicine services.

What are fringe benefits? In this episode of Winston & Strawn’s Benefits Blast Podcast, Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Partners Joanna Kerpen and Ruth Wimer discuss fringe benefits offered by employers, along with the related tax considerations and pitfalls. Joanna and Ruth provide tips and best practices for employers offering fringe benefits and reveal some of the most popular and trendy fringe benefits seen in the marketplace today.

What is the definition of compensation and a retirement plan used for and why does it matter? In this episode of Winston & Strawn’s Benefits Blast Podcast, Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Partners Steve Flores and Nancy Gerrie discuss the different definitions of compensation used in retirement plans, including safe harbor and non-safe harbor and the complications that can arise if plan administrators use the wrong one.

Do you know your ABC’s? The different acronyms associated with the various types of health plan accounts can be confusing. In this episode of Winston & Strawn’s Benefits Blast Podcast, Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Partners Susan Nash and Amy Gordon provide an overview of the alphabet soup of health accounts. Learn the differences between a health savings account (HSA), health reimbursement arrangement (HRA) (including two new types of health accounts introduced under newly proposed regulations), a health flexible spending account (FSA), and what you need to know about each.

Winston & Strawn is pleased to announce the launch of the Benefits Blast Podcast. During each episode, our attorneys will provide a brief update on innovations, trends, and developments in executive compensation and employee benefits law. Whether you’re a human resource professional, fiduciary, administrator, or on a board of directors, learn everything you need to know about health savings accounts, retirement plans, fringe benefits, telemedicine, and more. Our episodes will be brief, digestible, and published biweekly.