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A close observer of the health care consumerism movement was somewhat surprised by the reaction to his bold prediction that a proposed elimination of health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) from private health exchanges for most active employees would sabotage this model.

It is estimated there are more than 100 private exchanges in existence, with each one promoting unique or distinguishing characteristics in a crowded marketplace. Given the enormity of services offered to employers of many shapes and sizes, there are bound to be some conflicting claims that require an asterisk to eliminate any confusion for prospective customers.

Lincoln National Corp. was among U.S. life insurers that declined as bond yields fell after employers added fewer jobs than forecast.

Want proof that advisers need to be engaging with social media? Consider the SEC’s decision last week to let publicly traded companies make material corporate announcements on sites like Facebook and Twitter.

So I came across this article in Wired’s Good Design is Good Business that says: “A mix of factors, ranging from commoditization to evaporating barriers to competition, are conspiring to push design to the fore of business thinking”

A lawsuit between two local hospital systems has come to an end after the Ohio Supreme Court upheld a previous ruling in favor of Mercy Medical Center, the system accusing Aultman Health Foundation of a corrupt insurance broker incentive program.

The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation announced a new proposal that will reverse its 2009 proposal and thereby reform and reduce reporting requirements for more than 90% of companies and pension plans.

As HR/Payroll outsourcers look to continue to attract more and in some cases smaller businesses to their outsourced model they increasingly look to build data integration with third party systems to gain efficiencies and drive down costs. Thus the intersection between Human Resource/ Payroll software and retirement services recordkeeping software (plan administration) is heating up.

Americans continue to hold their purse strings tight and favor cautious choices with their money, according to research from Northwestern Mutual.

The cost of caring for dementia patients has reached $109 billion annually, exceeding that for heart disease and cancer, and will double by the time the youngest Baby Boomers reach their 70s, according to a study.