Broker associations contest HHS navigator regulations
While benefit brokers applaud HHS efforts to hold ACA exchange navigators to licensing and certification standards, many worry federal regulation will undermine state efforts already in place.
Melissa A. Winn
Senior Editor
Heartbleed causes heartache for Healthcare.gov users
CMS has reset all Healthcare.gov user passwords in response to the Heartbleed internet security bug, causing frustration for consumers and brokers, alike.
Help employers understand the ACAs limited non-assessment periods
Benefit advisers should be familiar with certain grace periods when employers can avoid penalties.
Make annuities an advising priority
Why trusted advisers should be sharing this growing retirement income strategy with their clients.
The time is now for selling voluntary products
Employees are craving voluntary benefits to offset high deductible plans, yet many say they havent been offered any new options since the ACA became law.
Why the uninsured flocked for coverage off the exchanges
Nearly half of newly insured Americans signed up for coverage off the ACAs public marketplaces and benefit advisers have several theories as to why.
Why sleep is crucial to any wellness plan
Its no surprise Americans are tired. Thats why benefit advisers working with employers to build a wellness program should not ignore sleep solutions.
Employers thirsty for voluntary dental info
Advisers say employers are increasingly purchasing voluntary dental plans as an effort to cut costs, meet new ACA requirements and retain employees.
Mixed hopes for Sylvia Mathews Burwells HHS future
Benefit advisers are hopeful Sylvia Mathews Burwell will repair strained communications between industry and HHS, while others view her nomination as largely a political move designed to push Obamas divisive health care reform agenda.
Networking on the go gets more specific
As new social media platforms arise, there are more opportunities for brokers to act as trusted advisers.'
Dont miss the lessons of ACAs first enrollment
The ACA's first open enrollment period presented some expected and some out-of-the-blue challenges for carriers, agents and others tasked with enrolling millions of individuals on the health insurance exchanges. Those challenges should serve as lessons and preparation exercises for the next open enrollment, several industry experts advise.
Selling wellness that works
Incentives or disincentives? Carrot or stick? The answer: it depends
Uninsured rate drops to lowest level since 2008
The number of uninsured Americans has dropped to its lowest level recorded since 2008, a new Gallup poll finds, attributing the decrease to ACA successes.
Bill bumping ACA to 40-hour work week passes House
The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed legislation that would modify the Affordable Care Acts definition of a full-time employee from one who works 30-hours a week to one who works 40-hours a week.
More employers embracing ACA provisions in health plan designs
While its not surprising that in 2013 the trend of employers shifting rising health care costs to employees continued to grow, it also appears employers have begun to design health care plans with looming Affordable Care Act provisions in mind.
Invigorate your workplace culture with random acts of kindness
Enlivening your staff and companys workplace culture can be as simple and sustainable as committing random acts of kindness.
Great-West to acquire J.P. Morgan Retirement Plan Services
Great-West Financial has reached an agreement to acquire the J.P. Morgan Retirement Plan Services large-market recordkeeping business, which holds $167 billion in assets across 200 clients and 1.9 million participants, the companies said Thursday.
Engaging the invincible millennial
Advisers and employers can use education to boost the enrollment of millennials in voluntary disability programs
ACA open enrollment extension may injure insurers
The latest ACA enrollment extension could mean big losses for insurers and higher premiums for everyone in 2015, Moodys predicts.
Employers overwhelmingly favor fiduciary standard for plan providers, advisers
Current regulations dont require a retirement plan providers investment advice be in the best interest of plan participants, but most employers want that to change, an AARP study finds.