Kathleen Koster

Amidst further rollout of the ACA’s provisions, researchers expect more employees to enroll in their employer-sponsored health plan for 2015 — a surge benefit advisers should be preparing employers to manage.

Retiring baby boomers and health care reform law contribute to increased mergers and acquisitions activity.

Vermont has cut ties with the vendor of their health insurance exchange, CGI, after continued complaints and errors with the online portal — a 'debacle' further exacerbated by the fact benefit brokers and advisers have mostly been left out of the loop.

The expanded role of target-date funds has contributed to increased participation in 401(k) plans, highlighting a retirement plan strategy benefit advisers should be sharing with their employer clients.

Technology company Cerner lowers its health care costs through personalized mobile messaging.

Foursquare helps people discover new places, restaurants and experiences nearby with their mobile phone. For the talent team at Foursquare, employee procedures like onboarding didn't have the same ease and connectivity that their products allowed consumers to enjoy. Onboarding and other procedures were time-consuming, manual processes that resulted in redundant records and tons of wasted paper.

A new trend in employee coaching and assistance programs applies the principles of neuroscience to help employees reduce stress, quit smoking and become more focused and productive.

Wellness champion networks can help customize wellness communication and programs to smaller worksites.

It's Facebook for your health: How new technologies are helping to drive employee behavior change, using employees' love of social media to help provide an encouraging and accountable environment to reach their health goals.

While millennials may likely be the most savvy generation when it comes to monitoring their health and tracking their progress towards health goals, employers will find that this group needs monetary motivation, finds a new survey.

The University of Michigan has been fine-tuning its wellness champion network for over 20 years. Over that time, wellness champs have morphed in number and organizational role, but have always played “an important role for helping to develop our culture of health across the University," explains Karen Schmidt, associate director of wellness and health culture at the University of Michigan.

Last year, Miami Children’s Hospital shifted its wellness focus from participation to accountability and partnered with Interactive Health to offer a new biometric screenings initiative. For the program’s first year of implementation, the hospital encouraged employees and spouses to receive a blood draw for metrics across six areas, including blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose and tobacco use.

When Lynn Frost started vetting potential health plans to offer employees at Ghost Armor International she wanted a plan that was “flexible and affordable and didn't limit the employees’ ability to choose their own provider too much.”

With its launch of the new 401(k) feature “How Do I Compare,” Putnam Investments allows plan participants to compare their progress in saving for retirement with their peer group and top-tier savers. This tool takes advantage of employees’ natural inclination to keep up with the “Joneses” by applying this psychology to their nest egg.

Culling through big data is nothing new, but professional employer organizations like Engage utilize databanks from multi-location businesses to laser-focus employers’ risk management. Until recently, employers and their benefits advisers could only assess risk for a bird’s eye view, over an entire company. Now with new technology, they can hone in on medical claims and safety data from each restaurant location, distribution center or factory.

Employers are saving an average of $1,500 per worker in HSA-qualified health plan premiums, according to a 2013 survey by Kaiser and HRET. In 2012 alone, the Wells Fargo-administered HSA program saved U.S. businesses an additional $25 million in payroll taxes. This year, the total savings will top $40 million.

Safeway launched an online and mobile platform that uses web communities and anonymous peers to encourage individuals in their physical and mental health journeys. The social health platform offers employees and their families access to educational resources, health experts and peer support in condition-specific communities, including alcohol addiction, depression, heart health, cancer, stress reduction, diabetes, obesity, tobacco cessation and caregiver support.

Colorado’s state government – itself one of the biggest employers in the Centennial State – has achieved milestones in Gov. John Hickenlooper’s goal to make Colorado the healthiest state in America. Already more than 10,000 state employees (30% of the qualified population) have begun participating in a range of health activities since the launch of a health incentive program in July 2013.

Here are two employers using biometric screenings to drive the larger message of healthy living home to their employees.

The University of Alabama has made impressive wellness strides by promoting and integrating their screening initiative in an overarching well-being campaign. For this collegiate employer, what is even more important than the health numbers stemming from biometrics is the context for those numbers.