Healthcare

In most surveys, average defined benefit portfolios are found to outperform the average defined contribution plan account. And while that was true in Callan Associates latest “Callan DC Index” report, one category of target date fund -- 2030 funds -- performed markedly better last year than both overall DC plan assets and DB plans, presumably due to a higher average equity allocation.

Under current guidance, “affordable” health care coverage for a family could get unaffordable fairly quickly, but is total household income even an issue for employers?

Governors who refuse to expand their Medicaid programs for the poor may cost employers in their states as much as $1.3 billion in federal fines, according to a new study.

Most brokers who plan to stay in the industry in 2014 are learning to embrace the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. But as two health policy minds from opposite sides of the political spectrum discussed Wednesday at America’s Health Insurance Plans conference in Washington, unknown effects of PPACA and rising costs of health care should still be on the minds of carriers and brokers alike.

The MLR regulations under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act are misguided, according to AHIP attendees. An engaged crowd at Wednesday’s America’s Health Insurance Plans conference in Washington listened to a panel dissect this issue from what the speakers said were unfounded claims of carrier profitability by the government, to the restrictions placed on innovation as a result of high ratio requirements.

Air Canada stock gained the most in a week after the carrier reached an agreement with the Canadian federal government to extend a cap on pension funding by seven years, vividly demonstrating the impact of pension obligations and the price of publicly traded sponsor’s common stock shares.

A new nationwide public opinion research report produced by the National Institute on Retirement Security (NIRS) finds overwhelming support for Congressional action to provide all Americans with access to a new type of privately run pension plan.

Last week the Dow Jones Industrial Average reached record highs. Many expect the Standard & Poor's 500, a broader market index, to follow the Dow's lead soon. Is this a time to consider committing significantly to U.S. equities, or a time to take profits?

The increased accounts and balances were expected in a recent EBRI/MGA survey, but other analysts’ predictions are being confounded. For example, no real correlation was found between account balance and healthy behaviors.

Plan fiduciaries are more vulnerable than ever on a lot of legal and regulatory fronts, including the financial statements included with their 5500 filings. In an era when 5500 forms and their attachments quickly enter the public domain online via E-fast 2, available to anyone -- including an enlarged army of DOL inspectors hunting for anomalies, “fiduciaries need to be on the top of their game,” warns Dave Dacey, CPA, a partner with the WithumSmith+Brown and leader of the firm’s Employee Benefit & Pension Plans Group.