Fantasy sports have exploded in popularity over the past decade, with one of the most prevalent being fantasy football. Fantasy sports allow individuals to draft virtual teams of professional players and compete against other players in their leagues.

More than 56 million Americans play fantasy football—37 million of which are employed full time. Studies estimate that fantasy football costs more than $16 billion in lost productivity each year. This figure assumes that players spend one hour a week at work managing their teams over the course of the 17-week football season.

Given its popularity, it should be no surprise that some employees are playing Pokémon Go at work. This distraction could affect productivity and cause some employees to be less engaged in their work. Employers can mitigate Pokémon Go distractions by taking the following steps...

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If you're faced with a sudden illness or injury, making an informed choice on where to seek medical care is crucial to your personal and financial well-being.

Click here to learn the difference between emergency rooms and urgent care centers.

On July 21, 2016, a proposed rule was published by federal regulators that seeks to modernize and improve the Form 5500 annual return/report that is filed by employee benefit plans. In general, the changes are expected to apply for plan years beginning on or after Jan. 1, 2019.

The IRS has released 2016 draft forms for reporting under Internal Revenue Code (Code) Sections 6055 and 6056. Draft or final instructions for the 2016 forms have not yet been released.

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FACT: Michigan ranks 13^th in issued passports nationwide. 

What you need to know: As of July 1, Blue Care Network will require patients receiving select infusion drugs in an outpatient hospital setting to receive their infusion in their doctor’s office, an infusion center or at home.

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On May 18, 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced a final rule regarding overtime wage payment qualifications for the “white collar exemptions” under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

The final rule increases the salary an employee must be paid in order to qualify for a white collar exemption. The required salary level is increased to $47,476 per year and will be automatically updated every three years. The final rule does not modify the duties test employees must meet to qualify for a white collar exemption. Employers will need to comply with this rule by Dec. 1, 2016.

To comply with an Affordable Care Act mandate, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is making changes to the benefit limits for rehabilitative and habilitative services. Limits will change for rehabilitative and habilitative services for small groups and individual business.