Course catalog

A Compliance Checklist for Employers

Offering employee benefits comes with a long list of ongoing compliance responsibilities that many employers don’t fully understand—and brokers often struggle to communicate. This course introduces a practical, easy-to-use compliance checklist that helps employers stay on track with key notices, filings, and deadlines. Agents will learn how to use the checklist as both an educational tool and a year-round service model that strengthens client relationships and reduces risk.

A Crash Course in Employee Benefits

This six-hour course provides a comprehensive introduction to the health insurance industry, making it ideal for new agents and a helpful refresher for experienced professionals. The course begins with key definitions and a brief history of health insurance, then explores plan types, funding arrangements, and the rules that apply to small and large employers. We’ll also review tax-advantaged accounts, major compliance responsibilities for employers, and the evolving role of the broker, along with practical best practices for serving clients effectively.

Answer FAQs with Facts!

This course explains how brokers and benefits professionals can improve client communication by building a structured, accurate knowledge base of frequently asked questions. It emphasizes the importance of consistency, completeness, and reliability in answering client questions and explores how maintaining verified information can improve client outcomes and reduce errors.

Can Employers Vary Benefits and Contributions?

Can an employer offer different plans or contribute different amounts for different groups of employees? The answer depends on factors like group size, funding method, and how employee classes are defined—and the rules are often misunderstood. This course clarifies what is and is not allowed for small groups, large groups, fully insured, and self-funded plans, and explains the compliance considerations behind each approach. Agents will leave with clear, confident answers to one of the most common (and most frequently guessed-at) employer questions.

Next: Tue, Dec 8

Cancer and the Insurance Safety Net

A cancer diagnosis can create financial challenges far beyond the medical bills. This two-hour CE course examines how health insurance, Medicare, supplemental policies, disability coverage, and other benefits can help, and is offered at no charge in support of a Chicago Marathon fundraiser for Ronald McDonald House. In lieu of a course fee, please visit this page to make a donation: https://give.ronaldmcdonaldhouse.org/fundraiser/6790329

Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself

When employers choose to offer employee benefits, they also take on a variety of ongoing compliance responsibilities. In this course, we review the key requirements employers must keep track of and explain how they can perform a simple self-check to ensure nothing is falling through the cracks. We’ll also introduce a “do-it-yourself” compliance website that provides a comprehensive checklist to help employers stay organized and up to date.

COBRA: the 60 minute crash course

COBRA is an important continuation coverage requirement, but it is also an area where brokers must be careful not to overstep their role. In this course, we review the basics of COBRA, explain what employers are responsible for, and clarify what agents should—and should not—do when clients have questions. The goal is to help brokers understand enough to point employers in the right direction while avoiding the risks that come from trying to be too helpful.

Compliance Questions Clients Are Asking

Compliance rules surrounding employee benefits can be complicated, and employers often turn to their insurance agents with questions. The challenge is that most brokers are not compliance specialists and may feel uncomfortable diving too deeply into legal or regulatory details. This course reviews the most common compliance questions agents receive and provides practical guidance on how to respond clearly and responsibly—helping clients understand the basics while avoiding the risk of getting too far into the weeds.

Compliance: DIY or Don't Try This at Home?

Employers that sponsor group health plans are responsible for a wide range of compliance obligations under federal laws such as ERISA, the Affordable Care Act, COBRA, HIPAA, and the Internal Revenue Code. These obligations include the creation and distribution of required employee communications, maintaining formal plan documentation, completing government filings, and administering eligibility, enrollment, and continuation of coverage in accordance with strict rules and deadlines.

Crazy HSA Rules

Health Savings Accounts have been around for more than twenty years and continue to grow in popularity as more employers adopt high-deductible health plans. As a result, more clients are asking agents how HSAs work and whether they are a good fit for their situation. This course reviews the key rules surrounding HSA eligibility, contribution limits, and qualified expenses so agents can confidently answer common client questions and help them take full advantage of these tax-advantaged accounts.

Dental Insurance in Layman's Terms

Dental insurance may be simpler than medical coverage, but many clients still struggle to understand how it works. In this course, we break down the basics of dental plan design—including common coverage levels, waiting periods, and annual maximums—in clear, straightforward language. The goal is to help agents better understand dental coverage and provide ideas for explaining it to clients in a way that’s easy to understand.

Direct Primary Care - the next big trend?

More healthcare providers are choosing to step away from traditional insurance and bill patients directly, suggesting a shift that may represent a long-term trend rather than a short-term experiment. This course explores the growing movement toward direct primary care and concierge medicine, explaining how these models work and where they may fit within today’s health insurance landscape. Agents will learn how these arrangements can complement traditional coverage and when they might be a useful option for their clients.

Eenie Meenie Miney Mo, PPO or HMO?

As you probably guessed, this course is about PPOs, HMOs, and other network options and how your clients can choose between them.

Employer Reporting - Whose Job Is It?

We all know what happens when we assume. But, unfortunately, clients often have incorrect assumptions about who's actually responsible for the various ACA reporting requirements - the insurer, the broker, or the employer. And incorrect assumptions can be costly. In this course, we'll discuss what the requirements are, how to make sure they are completed correctly and on time, and, of course, whose responsibility they are.

FSAs: How Flexible Are They?

Health Savings Accounts have received a lot of attention in recent years, but Flexible Spending Accounts remain an important and valuable benefit option. Unlike HSAs, FSAs do not have to be paired with a specific type of health plan and allow employees to access their full election amount at the beginning of the plan year. In this course, we review the key FSA rules, discuss how these accounts work in practice, and explain why they continue to be a strong option for many employer-sponsored benefit programs.

Health Insurance 101: The Basics

In Part 1 of this three-part series, we cover the fundamentals of health insurance. Topics include key definitions, the purpose of health insurance, a brief history of the industry, provider networks, common plan types, funding arrangements, and other essential concepts that form the foundation of today’s health insurance market.

Health Insurance 201: Rules & Employer Strategies

In Part 2 of this three-part series, we focus on the “rules of the game” that shape the health insurance marketplace. We’ll review key regulations that affect employer-sponsored coverage and discuss the strategies brokers use to help clients maximize the value of their healthcare dollars.

Health Insurance 301: Accounts & Ancillary Benefits

In Part 3 of this three-part series, we round out the discussion by looking at the additional benefits that help complete an employee benefits package. Topics include tax-advantaged accounts and common ancillary benefits such as dental, vision, and life insurance, and how these options work alongside core health coverage.

Health Insurance in Other Countries

Supporters of Medicare for All often note that the United States is the only industrialized nation without a government-run universal healthcare system. Opponents respond that systems in other countries can involve long wait times and limited access to care. In this course, we examine how healthcare systems operate in several other countries and explore what their experiences can teach us about the ongoing debate in the United States.

Health Insurance Past, Present, and Future

Understanding today’s health insurance market requires a look at how the system developed over time. This course reviews the history of health insurance in the United States and examines the many attempts that have been made to control rising healthcare costs. Along the way, we discuss the successes, shortcomings, and unintended consequences of past reforms to provide perspective on current industry challenges and possible future changes.

Next: Wed, Dec 16

Health Insurance: A Three-Hour Tour

This three-hour course provides a practical introduction to health insurance and employee benefits for agents who are new to the industry. It also serves as a helpful refresher for experienced agents who want to revisit the fundamentals and strengthen their understanding of the core concepts that shape today’s employee benefits marketplace.

Health Insurance: It's a Numbers Game

Math plays a surprisingly important role in the health insurance industry. From determining thresholds for COBRA, Medicare Secondary Payer rules, and employer mandates to calculating HSA contributions, premium tax credits, and the true cost of coverage, numbers are everywhere. This course walks through several of the key calculations agents encounter and helps attendees become more comfortable with the math so they can better advise clients and avoid costly mistakes.

How Captives Can Save (Some) Employers Money

Many brokers are familiar with fully insured and traditional self-funded health plans, but fewer have explored health insurance captives. In this course, we introduce the captive model and explain how it allows small and mid-size employers to participate in a shared self-insured arrangement. Attendees will learn how captives work, when they may be a good fit, and how brokers can evaluate whether this alternative funding option makes sense for their clients.

How NOT to blow up your clients (& other LF tips)

HRAs and MERPs - What's the Difference?

Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs) have been around for more than 20 years, and Medical Expense Reimbursement Plans (MERPs) were used even before that. While both strategies were once very popular, they are somewhat underutilized today. In this course, we review how HRAs and MERPs work, explain the similarities and differences between the two approaches, and discuss why they can still be valuable solutions for many employer clients.

HSAs: Do the Math!

Some healthcare consumers are low utilizers - they may get their preventive care each year, but that's about it. Others are medium utilizers - they go to the doctor a couple times and may have one or two prescriptions, but they're unlikely to hit their deductible. And some are high utilizers - they reacher their out-of-pocket limit nearly every single year. Regardless of their utilization, though, most health care consumers would do better with an HSA. In this class, we'll do the math to prove it.

HSAs: the Advanced Course

This course picks up where the HSA basics course leaves off. In this advanced session, we examine some of the more complicated questions brokers receive about Health Savings Accounts – including what counts as “other coverage” that can affect eligibility, how contribution limits work when someone has partial-year coverage, and some of the gray areas that often lead agents to say “ask your tax advisor.”

HSAs: the Basics

In this HSA basics course, we explain what Health Savings Accounts are and why they can be a valuable option for many clients. We’ll review the key eligibility and contribution rules, discuss how HSAs work alongside high-deductible health plans, and go over common eligible expenses. This course is ideal for newer agents who are unfamiliar with HSAs and a helpful refresher for experienced agents.

Hybrid Health Plans

Today, rich, low-deductible health plans are increasingly rare. And when they do exist, the price is often out of reach. Today’s brokers are frequently asked to create something that feels comprehensive while still staying within budget. This course shows how to combine core medical coverage with supplemental and alternative solutions to “build” a more complete benefits package. We’ll walk through practical hybrid plan strategies that improve employee satisfaction while keeping employer costs under control.

ICHRAs and QSEHRAs - Same, but Different

In this course, we examine two strategies employers can use to reimburse employees for individual health insurance – QSEHRAs and ICHRAs. We’ll review how each arrangement works, who is eligible to offer them, and the rules that apply to each approach. While these two types of HRAs share many similarities, they also have important differences, making each one a better fit for certain employers.

Insurance Jeopardy

It's back!! It's been a few years since we've played Jeopardy, so this should be fun. Best to have excel open during this class so you can easily keep score.

Next: Thu, Dec 10

Is AI Useful? That Depends on the User.

Artificial Intelligence is becoming a powerful tool in the workplace—but its usefulness ultimately depends on the person using it. This course explores how AI is changing the way insurance professionals research, communicate, and create content, while emphasizing the continued importance of human judgment and oversight. Through practical demonstrations and real-world examples from both inside and outside the insurance industry, Eric shows how AI can be used to boost productivity, efficiency, and creativity.

Next: Wed, Dec 9

Is it really a benefit if nobody wants it?

Employee benefits are supposed to attract and retain talent—but low participation can prevent a plan from even getting off the ground. When employees decline coverage, employers struggle to meet carrier requirements and the value of the benefits package is lost. This course explores the real reasons participation falls short and the strategies brokers and employers can use to design, position, and communicate benefits in ways employees actually want, improving both enrollment and perceived value.

Medicare Considerations for Employees

As more employees continue working past age 65, an important question arises: should they stay on their employer’s health plan, enroll in Medicare, or carry both? The right answer depends on several factors, including employer size, plan design, costs, and coordination-of-benefits rules. This course walks through the key considerations so agents can help Medicare-eligible employees understand their options and make informed coverage decisions.

No Wonder Our Clients Are Confused

The insurance industry has its own language – filled with technical terms, acronyms, and constantly changing rules. Add in complicated regulations and government guidance that often leaves important questions unanswered, and it’s easy to see why clients struggle to understand their coverage options. This course explores some of the most common sources of confusion and discusses how agents can communicate more clearly and help clients better understand their benefits.

Not All Surprises Are Good

Everybody likes surprises, right? Wrong! When it comes to medical bills, surprises are usually the last thing anyone wants. This course examines the No Surprises Act, the federal law that took effect January 1, 2022 to address surprise medical billing. We’ll review the situations the law covers, how the new rules protect patients, and what agents should understand about how the law affects health plans and their clients.

Phoning It In

Telehealth has quickly become a common feature in many health plans, giving patients convenient access to care without visiting a doctor’s office. In this course, we discuss how telehealth benefits work, why they have grown in popularity, and how they fit into today’s healthcare and insurance landscape.

Pimp My Spreadsheet

At renewal, one of the broker’s most valuable deliverables is a clear, accurate, apples-to-apples comparison of plan options. This course shows what truly belongs on a client-facing spreadsheet and walks step-by-step through how to build one from scratch for better employer decision-making. We’ll also demonstrate a “smart spreadsheet” that not only presents the options but calculates premiums automatically—reducing the need to run quotes on the various carrier websites.

Red Tape vs Common Sense

In this course, we explore how bureaucratic red tape in the insurance industry – sometimes created by government regulations and sometimes by carrier policies – can make it harder for consumers to access the care they need when they need it. We’ll examine common examples and discuss how these rules affect patients, providers, and the agents who help clients navigate the system.

The 3 Main Types of Tax-Advantaged Accounts

In this course, we compare and contrast the three primary tax-advantaged healthcare accounts – Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs), Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), and Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). We’ll review how each account works, the rules that apply, and when each option may be the best fit for employers and employees.

Next: Tue, Nov 17

The Art and Science of Benefits Consulting

This course is designed to help insurance professionals make more thoughtful, consistent, and ethical client recommendations. We’ll explore the science of structured analysis, the art of professional judgment, the broker’s toolbox, employer and employee education, implementation, ethics, and the growing role of artificial intelligence in benefits consulting. Breaks will be provided between sections. Participants will receive six hours of classroom CE credit, and no final exam is required. This special course is separate from the ComedyCE.com Season Pass and is not included with a Season Pass subscription.

The Doctor Shortage and Market-Based Solutions

Consumers are increasingly frustrated by narrow networks, disappearing out-of-network benefits, and the growing difficulty of finding plans that include their preferred doctors. At the same time, the U.S. is facing a significant physician shortage that is expected to worsen over the next several years. These two trends are reshaping how coverage is accessed and how brokers must guide their clients. This course explains the forces behind the provider shortage, why networks have tightened in the individual market, and the practical, market-based solutions available today—from alternative plan designs to new care delivery models—that can help clients maintain access to quality care while managing premium costs.

The Doctor Will See You Now (Just Kidding)

This course examines the growing physician shortage in the United States, where more doctors are retiring and fewer are entering primary care. The result is longer wait times for appointments and increased frustration for patients, often made worse by restrictive insurance networks that limit provider access. In this session, we discuss how these trends affect the healthcare system and share practical ways agents can help clients navigate the challenges and find timely care.

The Employer Mandate and Reporting Requirements

Under the Affordable Care Act, applicable large employers – generally those with 50 or more full-time equivalent employees – must offer minimum essential coverage that meets affordability and minimum value standards or face potential penalties. They are also required to file annual reports with the IRS detailing their coverage offers and employee enrollment. In this course, we review the employer shared responsibility rules and the reporting requirements employers must follow. Resource site link: [https://comedyce.com/employer-mandate-and-reporting/](https://comedyce.com/employer-mandate-and-reporting/)

The End of the Enhanced Premium Tax Credits

Enhanced premium tax credits under the Affordable Care Act helped millions of individuals and families afford Marketplace coverage, but those temporary expansions rolled back to their pre-COVID levels beginning January 1, 2026. As a result, many consumers are facing significantly higher premiums, and some are reconsidering whether to maintain coverage at all. This course explains how the subsidy changes work, the potential impact on Marketplace enrollment, and strategies agents can use to help clients manage rising costs.

The Fourth Quarter

The fourth quarter is the busiest time of the year for many benefits brokers as employer health plans come up for renewal. In this course, we discuss several strategies agents can use to stay organized, manage the workload, and position themselves for success during this critical part of the year.

The Health Benefits of Wine & Chocolate

Wellness programs are often promoted as a way for employers to improve employee health and reduce healthcare costs, but many rely on complicated incentives, penalties, and measurements that don’t always lead to lasting behavior change. This course explores a different approach – one that focuses on making wellness programs simple, enjoyable, and engaging for employees. Attendees will learn how employers can encourage healthier habits and achieve long-term results without relying solely on the traditional “carrot and stick” model.

The History of Employee Benefits

This course takes a look at the surprisingly interesting history of employee benefits in the United States. Over the years, policymakers and industry leaders have made numerous attempts to expand coverage, reduce costs, and improve access to care – with mixed success. Understanding these past efforts provides valuable perspective on today’s challenges and helps us think more clearly about where the employee benefits system may be headed next.

The New Part D Creditable Coverage Calculation

Medicare Part D is undergoing its most significant changes in nearly 20 years, including the new $2,000 annual cap on prescription drug costs (indexed for inflation) that took effect in 2025. While this change benefits many Medicare beneficiaries, it also affects how employers determine whether their prescription drug coverage is creditable. In this course, we review the Part D redesign, explain the new creditable coverage calculation that is required starting in 2027, and discuss what employers, advisors, and brokers need to understand about the updated determination process.

The Paperwork Burden

ACA reporting added a new layer of complexity to an already crowded compliance landscape that includes HIPAA, COBRA, ERISA disclosures, and more. Employers are overwhelmed by new forms, new deadlines, and difficult eligibility and affordability calculations, while brokers must answer questions without crossing into legal or tax advice. This course breaks down the major reporting and disclosure requirements in plain language and shows how brokers can turn the “paperwork burden” into a valuable advisory opportunity for their clients.

The Tipping Point for Telehealth

The use of telehealth services surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, accelerating a trend that had already been gaining momentum. For many patients and providers, the pandemic served as a tipping point for virtual care. In this course, we examine how telehealth usage changed during the pandemic and discuss whether virtual healthcare services are likely to remain a permanent part of the healthcare landscape.

Next: Wed, Nov 18

Time for a Quiz!

Brokers receive a wide range of questions from their clients, and sometimes the correct answer isn’t immediately obvious. Continuing education helps agents expand their knowledge so they can respond with confidence. In this interactive class, we’ll pose a series of questions, give attendees a chance to respond, compare answers with their colleagues, and then review the correct answers along with brief explanations. It’s a fast-paced and engaging way to test your knowledge while learning something new.

Understanding Special Enrollment Periods

In most insurance markets – group, individual, and Medicare – people can enroll in or change coverage only during designated open enrollment periods. These windows exist to encourage people to purchase insurance before they need care and to reduce the risk of adverse selection. However, certain life events create special enrollment opportunities that allow individuals to sign up for or change coverage outside of the normal enrollment period. In this course, we review the special enrollment periods available in the different market segments and explain how they work.

Using AI to Keep Clients Compliant

This course explains how artificial intelligence can be used responsibly to support employer compliance efforts in the health insurance industry, with a focus on using accurate, structured knowledge to improve consistency and reduce risk.

Was the ACA Doomed to Fail?

The Affordable Care Act dramatically reshaped the health insurance landscape, but from the beginning it faced political opposition, complex design challenges, and difficult trade-offs between affordability, access, and market stability. This course looks at the ACA’s original goals, how its structure affects premiums and participation, and the key pressures that have influenced its performance over time. We’ll separate political talking points from market realities and discuss what the law has accomplished, where it struggles, and what the future may hold.

What Agents Need to Know About COBRA

COBRA is technically an employer law rather than an insurance law, but that doesn’t mean brokers can ignore it. Agents should understand the basics so they can point clients in the right direction when questions arise. In this course, we review the key concepts of COBRA and explain what agents need to know in order to properly guide their employer clients.

What Can We Learn from Studying Our Past?

There is a lot to learn in today’s health insurance market, with numerous plan designs, carriers, and funding options to consider. So why spend time studying the history of health insurance? The answer is that understanding how the system developed can provide valuable insights that many brokers overlook. In this course, we explore key lessons from the past that can help agents better understand today’s market, uncover new strategies, and potentially save their clients money.

What is an HRA?

In this course, we'll discuss general purpose HRAs. What are they, how do they work, and are they still a good option for employers?

When Level-Funding is a Good Fit

Level-funded health plans offer small employers a way to move toward a self-insured approach and potentially avoid the modified adjusted community rating rules that apply to fully insured small group plans. However, this strategy is not the right fit for every employer. In this course, we discuss the types of companies that tend to benefit most from level funding, focusing on the demographic and claims characteristics that make a group a strong candidate for this alternative funding approach.

Why are we still waiting for price transparency?

For years, brokers and industry experts have emphasized the importance of price transparency in healthcare. The idea is simple – if patients know the price of services in advance, they can make better decisions and help control overall costs. Yet despite widespread agreement that transparency is essential, progress has been slow. In this course, we explore why healthcare pricing remains so difficult to see and discuss what it will take to finally make true price transparency a reality.