Advisor strategies

The role of brokers in the new world of health care in 2014 is changing, and while it’s tough, there are five key marching orders for making the most of it. This sentiment opened the Workplace Benefits Renaissance in Atlantic City, N.J. on Monday with a keynote from Andrew Webber, the president and CEO of the National Business Coalition on Health based in Washington, D.C.

While brokers are experiencing anxiety about their role in exchanges, employees of all types may be confused about their options — thus providing brokers the chance to come to the rescue with targeted communication on the subject.

With PPACA implementation in full swing, the top four broker organizations set their sights on making inroads on Capitol Hill to secure regulatory fixes.

Mercer health benefit consultants have come up with a short list of what employer health plan sponsors need to keep top-of-mind in the New Year:

What employers and brokers need to know and do to success under the new health care reform model.

Nelson Griswold on how under health reform a carrier will not determine how much a broker is worth.

Guest blogger Linda K. Riddell shows how an eye for detail and some simple calculations could prove to be a life-saver for employees that are overusing/abusing narcotic painkillers. As always, share your thoughts in the comments.

HHS outlines various conditions and services insurers must cover, and rules to let companies expand employee wellness programs in new proposed regulations of the ACA posted Tuesday.

Now that health reform is here to stay, blogger Dave Petno says he is ready for the challenge to understand what he calls the “entire 2,700 page monstrosity.” Here’s how you can be prepared too for your client’s questions.

The Congressional Budget Office said in a report that a Congressional fix to exclude broker commissions from medical loss ratio calculations will increase deficits by $531 million over the 2013-2017 period.

Updated throughout the day after Obama's re-election, hear what industry leaders and industry groups say the president's win means for the broker community. Be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments, too.

New legislation begins this month in Massachusetts, a state ahead of the country on “health care reform,” says EBA Blogger Mark Gaunya. But what can others learn from this new law, a “a state-based, cost control experiment that may prove to be a glimpse of the future in your state?”

Turning PPACA compliance into profit for advisers brokers by Nelson Griswold.

Who will do most of the work implementing PPACA? Blogger Ed Bray, J.D., sees a tide that could be turning to a shared role between human resources and finance.

How do you present PPACA to clients and how does that help you prepare for the future? EBA Blogger Mark Lacher shares three things he has learned in his presentations.

Right now, the barrier of entry is too high for exchanges, say UBA CEO and EBA Contributor Thom Mangan. What are the multiple hurdles that advisers need to be aware of before offering these solutions to clients?

The Summary of Benefits and Coverage is supposed to be an easy-to-understand summary about a health plan's benefits and coverage. But guest blogger Ed Bray maintains the SBC has the potential to confuse employees.

During an at times confrontational second debate between President Barack Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney, health care and the landmark health care reform bill were, surprisingly, not a focus, and when the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act did come up, it was primarily used as an attack vehicle.

The Democratic Party late on Monday unveiled its election platform, a non-binding political document that party delegates will vote to adopt at the national convention in Charlotte on Tuesday evening.

The recent ruling on health reform has created an even greater need for accurate benchmarking data. Proving the age old adage that if you can't measure it, then you can't manage it. Advisers armed with information that drills down through national, regional, state, industry and company size will be better prepared to assist larger employers with employee acquisition and retention, and smaller employers make intelligent decisions on whether or not to "pay or play."