Healthcare

CDHPs control health care inflation with no deleterious effects on members’ health or financial position, maintains contributing editor Andrew Sykes.

Focusing on cost alone ignores an important half of the health care equation: good health, says Truven’s Dr. Ray Fabius.

As high-deductible health plans become more popular, employers should take special note of gaps in employees’ understanding to make sure the plan is utilized as intended.

There’s no end in sight to rise of voluntary critical illness insurance benefits.

While a tax-exempt retirement plan might look good on paper, it could likely use a little work in order to hit the right notes with employees. Aaron Friedman, national practice leader at The Principal Financial Group, provides some best practices to aid in creating a proper, effective participant education plan.

Mercer health benefit consultants have come up with a short list of what employer health plan sponsors need to keep top-of-mind in the New Year:

Opioid painkiller abuse and physicians dispensing of repackaged drugs top the list of cost drivers in the 2012 Survey of Prescription Drug Management.

Mercer has launched a private benefit exchange. Called Mercer Marketplace and developed by Benefitfocus, the exchange is available to employers with at least 100 employees. It will provide access to a broad array of benefits - both traditional and voluntary - from multiple insurance providers. Additional education tools and support will help employees customize their choices to better fit their needs, according to the company.

What employers and brokers need to know and do to success under the new health care reform model.

Its time to take a closer look at employee assistance programs .