Healthcare

Entering the supplemental medical services market should be a no-brainer for employee benefits producers looking to expand their revenue stream and diversify business in the wake of health care reform. With a growing number of baby boomers reaching age 65 every day, the Medicare supplement business is thriving. Not to mention the need for supplemental insurance felt by employees of all ages thanks to the widening coverage gap as employers increasingly switch to consumer-driven major medical plans.

The Obama administration’s already tortured logic regarding the Constitution’s Commerce Clause and PPACA’s individual mandate has been dealt several body blows so far.

Built-up demand for health savings accounts helped to account for a solid 2010 for J.P. Morgan’s HSA business, according to David Josephs, managing director with the company.

California regulators subpoenaed MetLife Inc. and plan a hearing on the company's practices involving the payment of benefits after learning of an insured’s death.

Have HR and benefit professionals who work for midsize employers lost their hunger for cafeteria plans in austere times? It seems that the answer depends on semantics and plan design nuances.

Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), the establishment of health care exchanges to enable individuals to purchase health insurance on the open market is proceeding as scheduled.

Exchange-traded funds are likely to grab a “significant” share of the 401(k) market in coming years, according to Skip Schweiss, president of TD Ameritrade Trust Co.

Experience with the health insurance exchanges in Massachusetts and Utah suggest these reform mechanisms will retain a strong need for brokers to provide buyers with market education and guidance.

Helping employers get more bang for their health care buck is the focus of a new online tool from the Center for Health Value Innovation.

U.S. spending growth on prescription drugs slowed to 2.3% in 2010, the second lowest level in 55 years, according to a report by consulting firm IMS Health.