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Despite evidence that younger investors are well-positioned to benefit from long-term retirement savings less than half (45%) plan to contribute to an Individual Retirement Account for the 2011 tax year, according to research.
February 13 -
Common sense seems to be in short supply these days, especially when it comes to application of the rules under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Here’s a case in point: we’ve heard that some accountants have made the Act’s so-called Cadillac Tax a focus point of their current accounting protocol for retiree health plans.
February 7
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While many brokers are worried about the future, Mike Sullivan of Digital Insurance is excited about it and the many opportunities that will present themselves.
February 1 -
Question: Amid all the changes the health insurance industry is undergoing, are there any trends in 2012 that brokers and agents can embrace to counter shrinking commissions and evaporating accounts? Its been almost two years since the enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and employers are still looking for solutions to their health benefits concerns. As a result, I see two major trends defining both the economic environment and the business opportunities that
January 17 -
Okay, so its no secret that the individual mandate included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act isnt going to win any popularity contests nor is most of the law, for that matter. However, Americans arent blowing raspberries on PPACA in its entirety, according to a recent poll conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation. In its monthly tracking poll, the foundation asked people to reveal their most liked and disliked PPACA provisions.
January 4 -
In the current broker/client business model local relationships are clearly preferred. However, that does not take into account the new health care landscape.
January 1 -
Why would employers choose to continue to pay, on average, close to $10,000 per employee for benefits when they could get away with a $2,000 penalty for not offering benefits at all? George Lane gives insight to this question in todays BeAdvised.
November 14 -
Employee Benefit Adviser is ramping up its social media presence, bringing you the latest news in the benefits industry and fostering intense discussions on everything from new PPACA information to voluntary policies. Come join the conversation on our sites!
November 3 -
Mercer recently surveyed employers about their responses to health reform provisions that were effective in 2011 and their attitudes toward requirements that won’t kick in until 2014 or later. The area that provided the most intriguing results involved eligibility. A year ago, when asked what actions they were likely to take in 2014 when benefits must be made available to employees working 30 or more hours per week, employers seemed more inclined to bite the
October 25 -
PPACA has been law for 15 plus months and many brokers and advisers consultants are still in denial. Many are acting like nothing has changed. Not for their clients. And not for their businesses either. This is no time to play the ostrich game. It’s survival of the fittest and most adaptable. Our world of benefits has changed and the landscape will continue to evolve. It’s time for a reality check. Change is never easy,
September 26 -
In part two of a two-part blog series Robert Winslow, principal of Elm Street Partners, continues his blog about some of the opportunity that the new health care legislation has brought apart. Supplemental Coverages. PPACA accelerates a market change that has been evolving for some time, one that sees real business growth from supplemental coverages versus the base health plan. Supplemental products have come a long way in recent years, both by voluntary carriers and
September 1 -
The "eagerly-awaited" guidelines regarding the uniform summary of benefits and coverage (SBC) required by Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act have finally been released. Comments are being invited until Oct. 21, 2011, with implementation anticipated by March 23, 2012, the two-year anniversary of PPACA's passage. This is not just the first step in the direction of increasing uniformity in the structure and communication of benefit plans.
August 29 -
In todays BeAdvised, Bob Arnoff blogs about ethical concerns for brokers and advisers around the new health care reform bill. How are you preparing for the switch? What do you plan to do about the dilemma he talks about?
August 15 -
Offset the impact of health care reform on your bottom line by adapting well to the new environment.
July 1 -
Adam McDonough wants to make one thing clear: "Our title is the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation, it's not the Property & Casualty Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation," says the head of IICF's Western Division development committee. Around for more than 15 years, the nonprofit organization has a solid representation among P&C firms that volunteer their time and give away about $1 million a year to charitable efforts. McDonough, president and CEO of Lockton, San Francisco, spoke with EBA about IICF's outreach to bring more life and health agents into the fold.
June 1 -
Our industry is in a state of massive flux. With regulatory and economic challenges constantly bearing down, agency leaders and advisers are anxiously searching for solutions to current problems as well as those that are swiftly approaching.
June 1 -
One year into the brave new world of health care reform, theres good news and theres bad news, says industry insider Eric Johnson.
April 11 -
A National Association of Insurance Commissioners task force is seeking comments from brokers, agents and advisers on the impact of PPACAs medical loss ratio rules. The comments will be the basis of a meeting of the task force scheduled for later this month.
March 15 -
Employers struggling to stay afloat in the flood of guidance on implementing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will find themselves looking both forward and backward this year. Their challenge: to gauge how the PPACA rules issued so far are affecting their plans while at the same time anticipating the changes that lie ahead in 2012, 2014, and even 2018.
March 1 -
Several members of Congress from both political parties expressed support last week for the role of the agent and broker post-health care reform. The legislators addressed a crowd of more than 700 at the National Association of Health Underwriters annual Capitol Conference in Washington, D.C. including calls for the medical loss ratio provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to be altered.
February 22
