Brian M. Kalish

For all the discussion about lowering the cost of health care and providing health benefits, is there a more important arbiter of employer satisfaction with a health plan than holding down cost trends? Maybe so, according to the results of the latest survey from J.D. Power and Associates.

Speaking at EBA’s Workplace Benefits Mania in Chicago, John Penko points to the fact that in 2010, 51% of earnings in this country came from wages — the lowest percentage since the government started keeping records in 1929, and 18% came from government entitlement programs. Numbers that will continue to rise until they hit a tipping point.

There is a need for an “extreme makeover” in the house of benefits with a delivery system built on partnership, collaboration, accountability and engagement — rather than competitiveness, says Larry Boress of the Midwest Business Group on Health.

CHICAGO — There is a need for an “extreme makeover” in the house of benefits with a delivery system built on partnership, collaboration, accountability and engagement — rather than competitiveness, says Larry Boress of the Midwest Business Group on Health. Read more from Associate Editor Brian Kalish as he reports from Employee Benefit Adviser’s Workplace Benefits Mania Conference at the Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park.

When individuals are faced with too many options, they become paralyzed and don't make the best decisions - even when it comes to 401(k) options, according to a new study co-authored by Columbia Business School and University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

From January to April 15, Steve Lerner rarely saw his spouse while working at an accounting firm. When he started his new role at consultancy Accenture nearly 10 years ago, all that changed, and he got the work-life flexibility he badly wanted

For Matt Thomas, who has worked with professional employer organizations since graduating college, consumer-driven health plans are the way of the future, becoming even more widespread as education efforts increase.

United States Labor Secretary Hilda Solis said Tuesday she knows that there are jobs out there that are not being filled because employers are looking for individuals that are flexible, adaptable and have the skill set to jump into another job.

Benefit directors nationwide believe their organizations are not doing enough to help employees make critical decisions at the point of retirement, according to a recent survey.

Despite state and federal mandates that require employers track data on when employees are out of the office, companies fail to use the data to manage the associated cost implications, according to a new survey.

Employer organizations and trade groups expressed mixed reactions Wednesday afternoon when the first federal appeals court to rule on the health care reform law upheld the constitutionally of its so-called individual mandate provision.

Improving health plan services that constrain costs and ease administrative hassles could go a long way toward keeping employers in the game as health care reform unfolds in 2014.

Millennials who frequently participate in workplace corporate volunteer programs are more likely to be proud, loyal and satisfied employees, as compared to those who do not, according to a new survey from Deloitte LLP.

Transamerica finds HR concerned that employees don’t have the tools they need to properly prepare for retirement

Despite state and federal mandates that require employers track data on when employees are out of the office, companies fail to use the data to manage the associated cost implications, according to a new survey.

This summer, health improvement company Healthways plans to launch premium software that will help employees take many daily steps toward a healthier lifestyle.

As the job market picks up, there is a fear by employers of high turnover due to a lack of engagement with their staff. As a result, as the market settles, engagement of critical talent is a top concern for companies, according to new survey from Aon Hewitt.