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There seems to be no slowdown in companies bringing employee benefits and retirement solutions to the marketplace. Despite the constraints of a struggling global economy and global pandemic, such adversity can prompt creativity as well as offer opportunity to meet important new needs. Here's some of the product news that crossed our desk recently.

Voya Financial announced that effective Jan. 1, 2021, it is adding the following offerings to its suite of Health Savings and Spending Accounts: Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs) and COBRA administration. A new employer portal enables tracking and managing COBRA programs.

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Versant Health announced a collaboration with Befitting to bring vision care to workplaces through on-site optical clinics. Versant Health clients can access in-network eye care and eyewear shopping at the on-site optical clinics, which are fully integrated into Versant Health's Davis Vision and Superior Vision insurance plans.

Vericred announced a new suite that enables the exchange of quoting, enrollment and eligibility data between carriers and technology companies such as tech-enabled brokers, and others. Vericred also announced enrollment relationships with Beam, CaliforniaChoice, Kaiser Permanente and Oscar, and is working with Aetna, Anthem, and other major carriers.

TILT announced a new partnership with eHealth, Incl, which allows TILT users to compare employer-sponsored health plans with Medicare plans, learn more about Medicare options, shop for Medicare options, and contact an eHealth insurance agent to get answers to their questions.

Take Command Health announced the Take Command Health broker partner program, open to all licensed health insurance agents. It provides educational tools and resources for brokers to add the individual reimbursement model of health insurance to their portfolio of employee benefit offerings.

Square announced two new features in Square Payroll: On-Demand Pay for employees, and Instant Payments for employers. On-Demand Pay is available in 48 states and employers can offer the feature to their employees at no additional cost. Instant Payments lets Square Payroll customers fund their payroll using the money in their Square Balance, where sales they process via Square are stored.

Paylocity announced a touchless time clock, which offers real-time, touch-free thermal temperature scanning. Additional clock feature options include biometric fingerprint readers; facial recognition that works even with masks; badge readers for instant time tracking; photo capture to record and validate identity; and attestation prompts that reinforce health checks.

Modern Hire announced CognitIOn by Modern Hire, aimed at helping employers make data-driven hiring decisions that are more transparent, predictive and fair. It is embedded in all of the company's products and innovations, including its Automated Interview Scoring (AIS), an on-demand video interview feature that uses AI to evaluate candidate responses.

MeMD announced Virtual Primary Care for employer groups nationwide. Members can connect with board-certified, NCQA-credentialed providers for services including annual wellness visits, routine follow-up appointments, prescriptions, 24/7 urgent care and more, as well as request assistance from Me MD's Care Coordination team and obtain orders for labs and imaging.

J.P. Morgan Asset Management announced investment advisory fees for the following funds were reduced, effective November 1, 2020:  JPMorgan SmartRetirement Blend Mutual Funds (Income, 2020-2060 – R6 share class) and JPMorgan SmartSpending Mutual Funds (2015, 2020 – R6 share class) from 0.29% net expense ratio to 0.19%.

Colonial Life released a new group critical illness plan with an optional rider that offers a lump-sum benefit for hospitalization for treatment of COVID-19 and more than a dozen other infectious diseases. Coverage is available for up to 56 different serious conditions and treatment procedures. Spouse and child coverage is available with employee coverage.

Catapult Health announced VirtualCheckup, clinical preventive checkups. Checkups can be implemented as a stand-alone solution, or as a hybrid complemented by onsite clinics. Prior to each visit, participants are mailed a checkup kit, which is followed by a virtual (video) visit with a board-certified Catapult Health nurse practitioner who reviews and discusses results, performs screenings, and delivers a customized personal action plan.

b.well Connected Health announced the b.well COVID-19 Return to Work Solution. Employees access a simple survey to assess their symptoms, exposure, and risk of infection, then receive personalized recommendations based on their responses. It includes an administrative dashboard for employers. In addition, the b.well app lets employees access their health information, connect their wearable devices, and more.

Benevity announced Civic Engagement Content for the Missions module within its employee engagement solution, Spark. The content aims to inform people about critical civic issues, educate and encourage critical thinking with regard to media consumption, and make their vote count in the upcoming 2020 U.S. election. Benevity partnered with Countable, an audience engagement platform, which created nonpartisan information and tools.

401GO announced a partnership with Rightfoot to develop a 401(k) retirement plan benefit that facilitates employee student loan repayments. The solution takes advantage of 401GO's leading proprietary technology for smaller employers to start and administer 401(k) plans along with Rightfoot's technology that streamlines student loan repayments across the market of public and private servicers.

Accolade announced the Mental Health Integrated Care solution, in partnership with Ginger, that offers access to on-demand mental health coaching, virtual therapy, and virtual psychiatry, and delivers those services alongside a member's Accolade care team, with the aim of integrating mental and physical health care.

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C.J. Marwitz

C.J. Marwitz is a writer and editor.