Practice management

The dissatisfaction, disappointment and frustration with launch of the federal health insurance exchange could be expected, especially with the constantly elevating level of consumer expectations for e-commerce and other online systems. Meanwhile, the number of private exchanges continues to grow and are in a very good position to succeed.

For millions of low-income Americans, the road to health care reform in 2014 could prove to be a jagged line as they bounce between public exchanges and Medicaid as their income fluctuates over the year.

A group of Republican representatives on the House Energy and Commerce Committee are demanding answers from the U.S. Treasury about the decision-making process behind the latest delay to the Affordable Care Act’s employer mandate.

Commentary: Top lessons from retail that brokers and consultants can leverage to engage employees in benefits selection and produce a positive experience with benefits shopping.

Republicans were trying to dismantle the ACA’s risk corridor premium stabilization program as recently as this week but several factors, possibly including the insurance industry itself, took them off course.

This week started out with the much anticipated employer responsibility ruling and first shocked us with the additional employer mandate delay. But there’s much more to the ruling that advisers and plan sponsors need to be aware of in the coming months.

From the latest in voluntary benefits to the challenges businesses face under the Affordable Care Act, speakers at the 2014 Workplace Benefits Renaissance — held Feb. 24-26 at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, N.J — will address a range of timely topics.

The number of employers contributing to their employees’ HSA or HRA continues to grow, reaching a record high in 2013, according to a new Employee Benefit Research Institute report. However, the dollar amount of employer and employee contributions is slipping.

Commentary: If the hard part of the job is prospecting, and the easy part is selling to qualified, interested prospective clients, what can you do to make prospecting easier and more productive? Jack Kwicien explains.

Employees fear the financial impact of a critical illness more than dying from one. Take advantage of the growing popularity of this voluntary benefit today.