<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>Erica Kirby</title>
	<atom:link href="https://ericakirby.com/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>https://ericakirby.com</link>
	<description>Benefits Made Simple</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Wed, 09 Sep 2026 21:00:09 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en-US</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>
	hourly	</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>
	1	</sy:updateFrequency>
	<generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.4</generator>

<image>
	<url>https://i0.wp.com/ericakirby.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/favicon.png?fit=32%2C32&#038;ssl=1</url>
	<title>Erica Kirby</title>
	<link>https://ericakirby.com</link>
	<width>32</width>
	<height>32</height>
</image> 
<site xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">253710216</site>	<item>
		<title>14 HSA Mistakes That Land on HR’s Desk (and How to Stop Each One Before January)</title>
		<link>https://ericakirby.com/hsa-mistakes-employers-make/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Erica Kirby]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 05 Oct 2026 21:38:11 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Compliance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Benefits 101]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HDHP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HSA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Medicare]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nondiscrimination testing]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://ericakirby.com/?p=7736</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Here are the 14 HSA mistakes that show up on a benefits admin’s desk every year, usually in Q1 when the tax forms arrive. Five are eligibility mistakes employees make without knowing. Five are contribution mistakes that create a 6% penalty. Three are employer setup mistakes with a 35% excise tax behind them. One is...]]></description>
		
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">7736</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Nobody Told You Who Invented the HSA (It Was an Insurance Company)</title>
		<link>https://ericakirby.com/who-invented-the-hsa/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Erica Kirby]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 28 Sep 2026 21:19:18 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Benefits 101]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Compliance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[benefits education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HSA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[open enrollment]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://ericakirby.com/?p=7729</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[The HSA was not designed by a retirement expert or a doctor. It was pushed into law by an Indiana health insurance company that sold high-deductible plans and spent more than $1 million lobbying for it. It became law on December 8, 2003, tucked inside the Medicare drug bill. Twenty years later, most people still...]]></description>
		
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">7729</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>2027 HSA Limits: The 16 Numbers and Rule Changes Every Benefits Admin Needs Before Open Enrollment</title>
		<link>https://ericakirby.com/2027-hsa-contribution-limits/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Erica Kirby]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 21 Sep 2026 20:41:30 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Benefits 101]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Open Enrollment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HDHP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HSA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[IRS limits]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[open enrollment]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://ericakirby.com/?p=7723</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Here are the 16 numbers and rule changes that matter for 2027 HSA plans. The IRS set the 2027 limits in May 2026: $4,500 for self-only, $9,000 for family, plus a $1,000 catch-up at 55. Deductible and out-of-pocket floors moved too. And three rule changes from 2025’s big tax law are now fully live. All...]]></description>
		
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">7723</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Should Your Company Put Money Into Employees’ HSAs? (And How Much, and When)</title>
		<link>https://ericakirby.com/employer-hsa-contribution-how-much/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Erica Kirby]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 14 Sep 2026 19:48:43 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Benefits 101]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Compliance]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://ericakirby.com/?p=7717</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Yes, if you moved people onto a high-deductible plan to save on premiums, you should put some of that savings into their HSA. How much: enough to close the gap between what they’d have paid on the old plan and the new deductible. When: front-load at least part of it in January. Here’s the math...]]></description>
		
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">7717</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>HSA vs FSA vs HRA: The 14-Point Comparison for Employers Who Have to Pick One (or Two)</title>
		<link>https://ericakirby.com/hsa-vs-fsa-vs-hra/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Erica Kirby]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 07 Sep 2026 19:39:34 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Benefits 101]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Real Cost-Saving Strategies]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://ericakirby.com/?p=7708</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Here are the 14 ways an HSA, a health FSA, and an HRA actually differ, side by side, from who owns the money to what breaks in January. Short version: the HSA is the employee’s account and needs a high-deductible plan. The FSA is a pre-tax election that expires. The HRA is the employer’s promise...]]></description>
		
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">7708</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>2027 ACA Affordability Is 10.22%: The 15 Numbers That Change What You Charge</title>
		<link>https://ericakirby.com/2027-aca-affordability-10-22-percent/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Erica Kirby]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 15 Aug 2026 11:37:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Benefits 101]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://ericakirby.com/?p=7568</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[For plan years starting in 2027, the ACA affordability percentage is 10.22%. That’s up from 9.96% in 2026, and it’s the first time the number has crossed 10%. Below are the 15 figures that decide what you can charge employees next year, what you owe if you’re wrong, and what you load into your system...]]></description>
		
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">7568</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>GLP-1s Are Eating Your Renewal. Here’s How to Decide What to Do.</title>
		<link>https://ericakirby.com/glp-1-coverage-renewal-decision/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Erica Kirby]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 08 Aug 2026 16:15:52 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Benefits 101]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://ericakirby.com/?p=7554</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Employers have three real options for GLP-1 weight-loss coverage at renewal: cover with guardrails, cover for diabetes only, or cut weight-loss coverage entirely. The right answer depends on your claims data, your stop-loss contract, and your population — not on what the company down the street did. Here’s how to actually decide. Your renewal packet...]]></description>
		
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">7554</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>We Found a Dog on the Health Plan. Here’s What It Was Costing Us</title>
		<link>https://ericakirby.com/dependent-eligibility-audit/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Erica Kirby]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 01 Aug 2026 06:11:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Benefits 101]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Real Cost-Saving Strategies]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://ericakirby.com/?p=7547</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[A dependent eligibility audit checks every dependent on your health plan against your plan’s own eligibility rules. Audits typically find 3% to 10% of covered dependents don’t actually qualify. Removing them lowers claims cost without cutting a single benefit from your eligible employees. I ran one. We found a dog. At one company, I implemented...]]></description>
		
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">7547</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>We Funded the HSA in January. Then Employees Left.</title>
		<link>https://ericakirby.com/front-loading-employer-hsa-contributions/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Erica Kirby]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 25 Jul 2026 19:25:55 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Benefits 101]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://ericakirby.com/?p=7526</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Front-loading an employer HSA contribution gives employees immediate help with medical expenses, but it also transfers the full contribution into an employee-owned, portable account before the employee has worked the full year. If that employee later leaves, the employer generally can’t recover a valid contribution. That generosity can create expensive leakage. One of the first...]]></description>
		
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">7526</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Day One Toolkit: Tools Nobody Hands a New Benefits Admin</title>
		<link>https://ericakirby.com/benefits-admin-tools-day-one/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Erica Kirby]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 30 Jun 2026 09:17:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Benefits 101]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Compliance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Smarter Systems, Happier Teams]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://ericakirby.com/?p=7515</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Maya got the benefits portfolio on a Tuesday. By Thursday she had eleven carrier logins, a shared inbox with 400 unread emails, a renewal date she found out about by accident, and a sticky note on her monitor with a password she was already afraid to lose. Nobody handed her a system. Somebody handed her...]]></description>
		
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">7515</post-id>	</item>
	</channel>
</rss>

<!--
Performance optimized by W3 Total Cache. Learn more: https://www.boldgrid.com/w3-total-cache/?utm_source=w3tc&utm_medium=footer_comment&utm_campaign=free_plugin

Page Caching using Disk: Enhanced 

Served from: ericakirby.com @ 2026-10-29 11:41:38 by W3 Total Cache
-->