Bowser Insurance Services Inc.

Last week, I got to see LinkedIn expert and founder/CEO of Zoetica, Kami Huyse. in action.

She brought her "Level Up Your LinkedIn" to the Fort Bend County Chapter of the American Business Women's Association.

It was an informative morning, jam-packed with tips and tricks on enhancing our profile, including access to an incredible ChatGPT tool Kami created.

We discussed what and how often to post and even workshopped a few things with our members and guests.

Our attendees left inspired and ready to get to work on elevating their LinkedIn presence.

Kami, thank you for sharing your expertise, time and talents with us! We are so grateful!

The deadline for some key Affordable Care Act (ACA) reporting deadlines for the 2025 tax year is next week.

Who must file?
✔️ Applicable Large Employers (ALEs) with 50+ full-time or full-time equivalent employees must file Forms 1094-C and 1095-C to report health coverage offers.
✔️ Small employers sponsoring an ICHRA, self-funded, or level-funded plan still have reporting obligations and must file Forms 1094-B and 1095-B to report coverage provided. If you're on a level-funded plan, you will want to check with your carrier on how this is being managed.
✔️If you're on a fully insured plan, your carrier is likely handling this on your behalf.

Federal ACA deadlines for the 2025 tax year:
📌 March 2, 2026 – Deadline to furnish Forms 1095-C or 1095-B to employees
📌 March 2, 2026 – Deadline for paper filing with the IRS
📌 March 31, 2026 – Deadline for electronic filing with the IRS
(Electronic filing is required if you’re submitting 10 or more returns.)

ACA reporting isn’t just a paperwork exercise. It’s about protecting your business from penalties and ensuring employees have the documentation they need.

👉 One important reminder: some states have their own guidelines. Be sure to review state-specific requirements if you have employees in CA, MA, NJ, RI, or DC.

Happy reporting!

I was happy to be able to attend the Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce monthly luncheon earlier this week.

It has been a while since I was able to attend, so it was great to see so many friends, meet new connections and to celebrate the Business of the Year awards.

Congratulations to the honorees:
🏆 Nonprofit of the Year - Cy-Fair Helping Hands
🏆 Small Business of the Year - Winthrop Realty Group
🏆 Medium Business of the Year - The Fitzpatrick Group
🏆 Large Business of the Year - Lone Star College - Cy-Fair
🏆 Ambassador of the Year - Dennis Coburn with West Point Power

Congrats to my dear friends Rose and Heather of Family Ties, Family Resource Services for being named a finalist in the Nonprofit category!

Thank you, Raj!

Happy Presidents Day!

Sometimes, the strategy works beautifully.

Sometimes, it doesn’t.

We recently took a group with 10 employees through underwriting for to try to secure better medical rates at renewal. The employees completed health questionnaires, and the underwritten rates looked good.

Then, a few employees decided to waive coverage.

With this smaller pool of employees opting for coverage, everything changed. The group became DTQ (declined to quote). No new option. No shiny alternative. Just the reminder that underwriting is never guaranteed.

This is the part that doesn’t get talked about enough.

👉 Going through underwriting doesn’t always mean better rates.
👉 Sometimes, you win.
👉 Sometimes, you don’t.
👉 And sometimes, the group no longer qualifies at all.

In this case, the client is staying exactly where they are — and that’s OK. Because we did the work. We tested the market and validated that the current plan is still the best option available right now.

And, even though didn't get that better rate, I'd still call that a win.

With employee W2s due next week, employers may receive questions about their ACA reporting/health insurance forms, too, as employees start trying to file their taxes.

Who must file?
✔️ Applicable Large Employers (ALEs) with 50+ full-time or full-time equivalent employees must file Forms 1094-C and 1095-C to report health coverage offers.
✔️ Small employers sponsoring an ICHRA, self-funded, or level-funded plan still have reporting obligations and must file Forms 1094-B and 1095-B to report coverage provided. If you're on a level-funded plan, you will want to check with your carrier on how this is being managed.
✔️If you're on a fully insured plan, your carrier is likely handling this on your behalf.

Federal ACA deadlines for the 2025 tax year:
📌 March 2, 2026 – Deadline to furnish Forms 1095-C or 1095-B to employees
📌 March 2, 2026 – Deadline for paper filing with the IRS
📌 March 31, 2026 – Deadline for electronic filing with the IRS
(Electronic filing is required if you’re submitting 10 or more returns.)

ACA reporting isn’t just a paperwork exercise. It’s about protecting your business from penalties and ensuring employees have the documentation they need.

👉 One important reminder: some states have their own guidelines. Be sure to review state-specific requirements if you have employees in CA, MA, NJ, RI, or DC.

Happy reporting!

Remembering Martin Luther King, Jr. today! How are you spending this day?

What are your thoughts on the new Food Pyramid?

I think it's great.

Let's get all the dyes, oils, chemicals and all the other crap out of our food and focus on the real deal.

New or expecting parents will want to make a note of this!

The deadline to add your new little one to your health insurance has been extended to 60 days.

I still recommend adding them ASAP, but having a little extra time when you've just brought him a newborn is really nice.

This is just one of several new legal changes for this year!

I'll be making a few more posts later this month about the other items of note.

Now that we are a few days into the new year and most of us are getting back into our routines, I wanted to share a couple of ideas that can make your benefits experience better for 2026.

📱 Download your carrier's apps for medical, dental, vision, etc. Using their apps, you can find providers, check claims and see your deductible information at the ready. If your carrier doesn’t have an app, check out their website for a member portal.

📱 Make sure you have your telemedicine app downloaded and your account created, pharmacy information added, etc. The last thing you want to do when a family member is sick or hurt is try to figure out how to use the system.

🏥 Locate the urgent care and emergency rooms that are in-network nearest your home and office. Maybe the kids’ school, too. Again, if you’re in crisis mode, it’s better not to have to think or worry about these things.

📱 Download the GoodRX app or something similar to make sure you’re always getting the best price on your prescriptions. Pricing varies from pharmacy to pharmacy, and you might find a better deal just by paying cash.

📆 Set a reminder on your phone to schedule those important appointments, like your annual physical, dental cleaning, eye exams, etc.

📱 Talk to your college-age kiddos about what to do and how to navigate the system when they are sick. Maybe even set them up on the telehealth app, find their local pharmacy, etc.

Have a suggestion? I’d love to hear it!

Wishing all of you a Happy HEALTHY New Year!