Advisor strategies

EBA blogger Mark S. Gaunya says there are some important strategies small employers need to know while heading into 2014.

The U.S. health care law’s projected tax bite on businesses with more generous health benefits is dropping as medical spending slows and employers look to rein in the cost of coverage.

A head Labor Department official said Monday that the department cannot provide as much clarity or answer questions about the Affordable Care Act as people are seeking due to elements of the law.

Being present and competent is the order of the day once the ACA becomes a reality, says blogger and UBA CEO Thom Mangan. Brokers need to act as a conduit, or contract with a conduit, to help employees navigate through. A lot of these issues fall on the shoulders of the human resources department, but a broker or adviser needs to offer comprehensive care.

At the 10th World Health Care Congress held just outside Washington, D.C., in April, Mark Fogel, head of HR for New York-based accounting firm Marcum Group, said his organization is still "grappling" with what to do about the Affordable Care Act and the new world for employers.

Jack Kwicien on how advisers must commit to a plan to adapt to coming change with insurance reform

How technology can be used to address challenges brought by health reform and Affordable Care Act

Guest blogger Mark S. Gaunya talks about what advisers must do in the 'Obamacare' world where insurers are assuming more risk and consumers more cost.

After small group reform passed California ten years ago, brokers feared the worse, says blogger Andrew Torelli. What lessons can that bill teach us what to expect with the ACA?

Although it is highly unlikely that the Affordable Care Act will be overturned in the halls of Congress, that does not mean the fight is over, Bobby Bramlett, Big "I" chairman told a crowd of nearly 1,000 independent agents in Washington on Friday.

Employers are still figuring out how to work with PPACA in the next nine months. That was the consensus during a panel at the 10th World Health Care Congress Monday in National Harbor, Md.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services confirmed yesterday, following the release of proposed rules on Navigators and what they’re calling non-Navigator assistance personnel, that the information is not necessarily intended for brokers

When it comes to the public health exchanges, the broker experience may vary drastically from state to state. For example, while Maryland officials say they plan to communicate certification timing to brokers this month for their state exchange, HHS says it will happen sometime between now and August.

Mel Schlesinger on why advisers shouldn’t let health care reform control their future

Jack Kwicien on what forward-thinking advisers are doing to adjust to ACA changes.

New legislation was issued last night in the Senate that would remove broker compensation from the MLR calculation.

Despite the progress made through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act on health care access, there are challenges to come from health reform, said Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wisc.) Thursday at the AHIP National Policy Forum in Washington.

Most brokers who plan to stay in the industry in 2014 are learning to embrace the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. But as two health policy minds from opposite sides of the political spectrum discussed Wednesday at America’s Health Insurance Plans conference in Washington, unknown effects of PPACA and rising costs of health care should still be on the minds of carriers and brokers alike.

Nearly half of all health plan members in the group and individual markets nationwide say they are interested in using a state exchange to purchase health insurance, according to a new survey by J.D. Power and Associates.

We’re starting your week with three important facts, developments or conversations from recent and upcoming events. This week, we look at the new IRS guidelines, final ruling from CMS on MLR ratio and what’s going on in Europe with retirement taxes.