Lydell C. Bridgeford

New research on workplace clinics observes that the clinics may have a limited impact on direct health costs, but their presence offers employers more control over how health care is delivered.

Business owners who employ between two and 500 workers recently told pollsters they have reshuffled business priorities where now business and income protection have taken center stage.

For some workers, it’s hard to get back in the swing of things after the highs and lows of the last two weeks of 2010. But the good news for employers is that there are inexpensive ways to ensure the post-holiday blues don’t interfere with employees’ engagement.

Over the last three decades, the job tenure for American women who work full time increased, while the length of time men workers stayed with an employer dropped, report researchers at the Employee Benefit Research Institute.

Employee benefits make up nearly 30% of compensation packages in the private sector, with insurance benefits comprising 8% of that total, according to 2010 research by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Facbook has trickled down into the diseases management space for diabetics, while a study examining a chronic care program for heart disease shows that a sophisticated approach to harmonizing care can reduce health costs.

Once the C-suite realizes the term "company culture" isn't just cliche corporate-speak, executives likely will start to ask what they can do to improve engagement levels. Then, HR/benefit professionals have an opening to move the culture discussion from intangible to tangible.

The Department of Health and Human Services recently issued proposed regulations that could require health insurers to publicly disclose and explain substantial health insurance premium increases.

The regulatory process to implement the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has initiated a government request for public comments on value-based insurance design (VBID).

Experts at PwC’s Health Research Institute weigh in on the top issues of 2011 that will take front and center for the health care industry.

In 2010, more employees were asked to do more with less, which can create a work environment where some employees become addicted to work.

The number of individuals enrolled in consumer-driven health plans hit 22 million in 2010, reflecting a 1% increase compared to 2009, report researchers from the Employee Benefit Research Institute and Mathew Greenwald and Associates.

There are many moving parts to reducing health care costs, but one expert believes employers should focus on five benefits strategies for 2011.

Dental benefits enrollment declined by 5.7% in 2009, according to the National Association of Dental Plans. It’s the first drop in dental enrollment since 1994, the year NADP started to track enrollment.

Proud to say you have 80% participation in your company's wellness/health promotion program? Not to rain on your parade, but that number may be misleading, according to Dr. Jeanne L. Wendel, professor of economics at the University of Nevada (Reno).

According to a survey on workers' perception of employee benefits, both high- and low-wage earners say benefits are vital to their health and financial security.

The Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration issued a proposed rule aimed at providing participants in retirement plans with more information on how target-date funds operate.

To show the tangible value of telework, a group that works on telecommuting policies has announced the week of Feb. 14, 2011 as National Telework Week.

The Department of Health and Human Services has released an interim final rule to implement medical loss ratio requirements for health insurers under the Accountable Care Act.

American CEOs are getting an earful on whether to keep or drop health insurance because of the health law, but Chris McSwain, director of global benefits at Whirlpool, said a business case on health coverage should also occur on the employee-family member level.