Brian M. Kalish

Tennessee CO-OP becomes latest to shut down, with more expected to announce closure before the next public exchange enrollment period begins in the next two weeks.

The majority of growth in private exchanges into 2017 will be in the 100-999 employee segment, as companies seek to make defensive plays ahead of the Cadillac tax.

California becomes the first state in the country to mandate 45-day notice for any material changes to agent agreements. The law comes in response to two insurers cutting commission with little notice mid-enrollment season.

More choice through private exchanges means more complexity for employers, employees and brokers. What can be done to improve the process for all involved?

Teams of benefit experts debated each other on which type of plan is the future of employer-paid health care during a discussion Tuesday at EBA’s Workplace Benefits Summit in Orlando.

Despite thousands of dollars spent on marketing, one key item is missing for critical illness insurance sales. What is it and how can four simple questions help improve sales?

Long an afterthought, retirement firms and advisers are pushing their clients to add auto escalation to employer plans.

Questions over program effectiveness, legality and data storage have employers hesitating to implement such plans.

The ruling is not likely to affect demand for individual fixed indemnity products, which have been on the decline, nor to have impact on overall health insurance market, experts say.

Despite eligibility for cost-sharing reductions, more than 2 million public exchange enrollees did not select eligible plans.

In the first year of open enrollment on its private benefit exchange, brokerage Lovitt & Touché made some mistakes. But the firm won’t be repeating them, says the Phoenix-based brokerage’s senior vice president.

Broker group hopeful hotline is “first step” in making enrollment through federally-facilitated marketplace an even playing field for agents and brokers

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services awards $7 million more than last year to grantees in 34 states.

Notable gap exists between what employers are demanding and what brokers are supplying

A PBE's consumer-facing portal may be "the sexy piece," an Accenture exec says, but many clients are looking for help beyond open enrollment.

Pilot program for Maryland Health Connection will have call centers directly transfer consumers to a broker to finish enrollment.

Those calling for repeal of the Affordable Care Act are split on what to do should the law be repealed.

Public health insurance exchange decision support tools improved somewhat in year two open enrollment compared to year one, but still have a way to go, research shows.

Some have compared the changes in health care to the changes that occurred in the retirement industry 30 years ago when companies switched from pension plans to 401(k) plans and put the responsibility on consumers to pick investments. But George Tzinas, chief experience officer at BenefitAlign, says it is not the same.

The uninsured rate in the United States is at one of the lowest points since tracking began, and in states with state-based exchanges the uninsured rate is lower than those using the federal marketplace. But is there enough incentive for brokers to continue to play a vital role in exchange enrollment?