Advisor strategies

With the Affordable Care Act’s employer shared responsibility reporting requirements for 2015 quickly approaching, benefit advisers should already be working with employer clients to implement benefit administration systems to ensure compliance with the law, industry experts say.

Many of your employer clients will soon face hefty penalties under the ACA for failing to make an offer of health care coverage. Legal experts clarify what that offer of coverage must be.

Health insurance premium rates are on the rise, a trend that could alter brokers’ selling strategies.

Company executives are increasingly becoming involved with health care benefit decisions. Benefit advisers hoping to win, and keep, their business must tailor their tactics to the C-suite.

Although open enrollment for ACA plans is not set to begin until November 15, a new report estimates that nearly 7 million adults may be able to enroll through special enrollment periods.

Employers are seeking help from benefit brokers and advisers as health care costs have them searching for alternatives to the current system of health care delivery.

Employers and employees more than ever need the help of their trusted adviser to communicate in plain language the complexities of today’s health care landscape.

Brokers and assisters will need to work closer together to help consumers during the 2015 ACA open enrollment, but most agree that will involve overcoming some underlying issues.

A day in the life of benefit adviser Bob White from Plan Benefit Analysts of Tulsa, Okla.

As the country’s demographics continue to shift, employers are facing changes in the makeup of their workforce, according to a report from the Council of Economic Advisers. With those changes come new benefits needs for working families. Brokers can help their clients keep up with these evolving requirements and expectations.

Private exchanges are a complex tool in a complex market, but they continue to evolve as employers switch to them, and brokers learn to work with them. Panelists discussed where they will go next during at opening keynote Tuesday at EBA’s Workplace Benefits Mania.

Road to Workplace Benefits Mania: Ahead of next week’s conference, speaker Reid Rasmussen talks about new employee needs that are likely to erupt in the coming years and how brokers might be able to create an opportunity out of them.

A proposal up for vote in the most populous state would give the insurance commissioner veto power over health insurance rates, among other things, and has brokers fearful of the trend spreading to other states.

An increase in the offering of consumer-driven health care products has not translated into increased understanding on the part of consumers — exposing a need for more assistance from benefit professionals and educational tools.

As media interest in health insurance exchanges decreases over time, the insurance industry may need to develop more effective communications to reach the uninsured.

Millions more Americans have gained coverage as a result of the health reform law, increasing the workload for benefit advisers, but not necessarily the compensation they receive.

As reports of more DOL audits continue to spook benefit advisers into talking compliance with their clients, employers are confirming that they, too, are fearful of federal agencies’ monitoring.

Commentary: Exchanges have been successful for retiree coverage. But, will they work for core coverage? Frenkel Benefits’ Craig Hasday shares points to consider with your clients.

What gives brokers a competitive edge? In many cases, it’s giving clients the feeling that they are getting the maximum value for their investment in employee benefits.

While health plans with accompanying HSAs are becoming increasingly popular, there’s evidence that employees aren’t always seizing the opportunity to save, or save the maximum amount.