Healthcare

This summer, health improvement company Healthways plans to launch premium software that will help employees take many daily steps toward a healthier lifestyle.

Looking for hospital ratings on the Internet or in magazines may not serve patients' best interests, with so-called "50 Best Hospitals" not necessarily any better than other medical institutions, a study said.

Health information exchange -- a process that aims to simplify and improve patient care by connecting doctors and hospitals -- hasn't been catching on as fast as policymakers hoped, a new survey finds.

Despite the known benefits of flexible work schedules, employers are reluctant to grant the flexibility to employees, and the employees are afraid to take advantage of it, according to a new study from WorldatWork and WFD Consulting.

U.S. health insurers will have to justify big premium rate hikes under new rules issued by the U.S. Health and Human Service Department on Thursday.

Willis Re created a new group to provide those in the life insurance and annuity market with advice on risk mitigation and financial leverage, the reinsurance unit of the London insurance brokerage Willis Group Holdings P.L.C.

Allstate Corp., already the second-largest U.S. auto insurer, said on Wednesday it would expand into online sales by buying Esurance from White Mountains Insurance Group for about $1 billion.

Many investors are unaware of the options available for their 401(k) account left with a previous employer, Fidelity Investments found. Nearly one-third (30%) who made a job transition are unsure of what to do with their workplace retirement savings.

Expensive new cancer drugs, treating increasing numbers of patients, could drive up cancer drug spending by as much as 15% a year through 2013, according to the newly released 2011 Medco Drug Trend Report, which tracks drug utilization and spending.

As employers shift to an employee-driven benefits model, plan participants’ perceived value and satisfaction in their benefits are declining, according to Prudential’s fifth annual “Study of Employee Benefits: Today & Beyond.”