Healthcare

New data reflect an increase in the number of uninsured Americans, prompting some benefit industry representatives to question the impact of federal health care reform.

With knowledge comes responsibility and when we ask for transparency that's exactly what we get ... more responsibility. In health care being reponsible means two things, read about those in today's BeAdvised.

Despite being well educated, ambitious and driven, Asian-Americans often feel excluded from corporate America and hit a bamboo ceiling that prevents them from reaching top jobs, a new study showed.

If you’re a customer of WellPoint, Inc., your employees’ records soon will come under the guidance of a computer. Granted, a very smart computer, but a computer nonetheless.

Some things only make sense in the aggregate. The issue of longevity is a prime example. While longer life spans is one of the unalloyed successes of the preceding century, the aggregate impact of aging populations also represents a major challenge for governments and benefit companies.

The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service are asking for public input on a proposed health care reform rule that would make it easier for employers to determine whether the health insurance coverage they offer is considered “affordable” for employees.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc will double the money it spends with women-owned businesses, train women around the world and push major suppliers to use more women and minorities on work they do for the retailer, its latest steps to promote a brighter corporate image.

The latest federal data shows that benefits costs account for about 30% of employees’ total wages, as private-sector employers spent an average of $28.13 per hour worked for employee compensation in June 2011. Further, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports, wages and salaries averaged $19.81 per hour worked and accounted for 70.4% of these costs, while benefits averaged $8.32 and accounted for the remaining 29.6%.

Benefits professionals annually shake their heads in frustration as they spend countless hours preparing open enrollment materials and conducting benefits meetings, only to see employees spend just minutes considering and making their benefits choices. As this year’s enrollment season approaches, new survey results from Aflac give pros hard proof to show employees that not selecting carefully carries meaningful financial consequences.

Whaddaya know? All this time, I thought it was just retirement plan participants who didn’t understand the fees they were paying. Turns out, according to a recent Spectrem Group study, plan sponsors don’t understand plan fees all that well either — only 45% of plan sponsors fully understand their retirement plan fees, according to the report that evaluated some 600 plan sponsors with assets under management of $10 million to $200 million. …