Gillian Roberts

A glass-half-full crowd of benefits brokers and agents – that could be the theme of this year’s National Association of Health Underwriters Capitol Conference. The organization concluded its three day lobbying stint Wednesday with a morning of discussion panels on health reform, remarks from a Republican congresswoman, a talk with a representative from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid and an address from NAHU’s president.

Buck Consultants announced this week that it would be starting a private health care exchange while Liazon unveiled a new web partnership to support its own.

Buck Consultants is the latest benefit and consulting firm to form a private exchange. The move aims to reduce employer uncertainty about 2014 by reducing costs and increasing employee health care options.

Lawmakers, nonprofit groups address gathering of benefit advisers to discuss brokers’ role in health care reform.

Early bird gets the worm. That’s an applicable motto for the National Association of Health Underwriters Capitol Conference attendees, who packed into a hotel on Capitol Hill early Tuesday morning for an overflowing session of speakers, from a senator to a president of a health insurance enrollment non-profit to Mercer and Wellpoint representatives.

The answer to that question is still fuzzy. That’s because while the Department of Health and Human Services has confirmed to Employee Benefit News that health reimbursement arrangements and health savings accounts will be offered on the public exchanges, the organization still hasn’t released the details and regulations surrounding these accounts.

The answer to that question is still fuzzy. That’s because while the Department of Health and Human Services has confirmed to Employee Benefit Adviser that HRAs and HSAs will be offered on the public exchanges, the organization still hasn’t released the details and regulations surrounding these accounts.

Mercer is one of the latest companies to enter the private exchange game, and the consulting giant gave employers an opportunity to check out the service during a conference call Thursday. Company executives revealed some of those specifics during the call, especially during the Q&A period for the audience.

The National Association of Health Underwriters hosts its annual Capitol Conference on Capitol Hill this week, bringing business leaders and bipartisan legislators together to discuss the changing marketplace and pending health reform regulations. Employee Benefit Adviser will be on site at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill to bring you coverage from this summit.

As growing numbers of employers enhance their online branding and communications via social media, the National Prevention Information Network offers tips on Twitter setup and strategy.

The Department of Health and Human Services yesterday issued a final rule on the essential health benefits required of insurers under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Are you scared of Twitter? Are you on Twitter personally, but having a hard time selling it to your organization as useful for the larger brand? Consider this a resource to help you make the business case for Twitter.

Most employers still haven’t calculated their costs under the health care reform act, though a majority plan on playing rather than paying, according to a new survey by the Willis Human Capital Practice.

More than half of employers have not calculated the costs of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, but of those that have, 61% say PPACA has increased their expenses.

A panel Tuesday at the Workplace Benefits Renaissance conference in Atlantic City, N.J. offered brokers tips and insights from successful small business owners who care for their employees like family.

Go see a lot of people every day, be nice to them and ask them to buy. This is the simple mantra that speaker Brian Hicks, a former insurance agent with Aflac turned career coach, preached at Tuesday’s opening session of the Workplace Benefits Renaissance in Atlantic City, N.J.

The Workplace Benefits Renaissance continues today in Atlantic City. Follow inBrief and eba.benefitnews.com this week for news and updates on the latest strategies from voluntary benefit sale and distribution opportunities to the ins and outs of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to evolve your business and make the most of today’s environment.

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.

The Workplace Benefits Renaissance kicks off today in Atlantic City. Follow inBrief and eba.benefitnews.com this week for news and updates on the latest strategies from voluntary benefit sale and distribution opportunities to the ins and outs of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to evolve your business and make the most of today’s environment.

CMS, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services, plans to collect information from brokers and agents for inclusion in health insurance exchanges. Find out updated timing information here.