Threat of ACA penalties could spike future exchange enrollments
Going uninsured is about to get very expensive. New estimates by NerdWallet show the minimum amount of lifetime penalties for someone who is uninsured is more than $36,000.
Melissa A. Winn
Senior Editor
Hispanics favor ACA, need more enrollment information
Most Hispanics have a favorable view of the Affordable Care Act, but need more information about it to understand the law and how to enroll in the health insurance exchanges, HolaDoctor, a leading health website for Hispanics, says.
Public opinion divide on ACA narrows
Americans are becoming less divided about the Affordable Care Act, as the gap between favorable and unfavorable views of the law has narrowed among both the general public and the uninsured, a new survey finds.
Financial fears have many workers planning to delay retirement
Although U.S. workers on a whole are more satisfied with their current financial situation than in years past, most (58%) remain concerned about financial stability in retirement and say they plan to continue working until age 70 or later, a new Towers Watson survey shows.
ACA triggers voluntary benefit sales boom
Voluntary benefit sales are enjoying rapid growth as employers prepare for the impact of the Affordable Care Act by revamping their medical plan designs to include more products such as accident and critical illness benefits.
Access to Rx drugs challenged by exchanges
Access to prescription drugs is more challenging for consumers buying insurance through the exchanges than those covered by employer-sponsored insurance plans, an analysis by Avalere Health finds.
Employers take wait-and-see approach to private exchanges
Employers are making creative changes to employee benefit offerings to stem the tide of rising health care costs, but many are taking a wait-and-see approach to private exchanges, according to presenters at MetLifes 10th National Benefits Symposium Monday.
GOP challenges Obamas delay of employer mandate
Republican leaders on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee are challenging the Treasury Departments authority to delay the Affordable Care Acts employer mandate, calling it a political move directed by President Obama ahead of the November elections.
Half of Americans oppose the ACA
Nearly four years after the enactment of the Affordable Care Act more than half (53%) of Americans disapprove of the law but most of those opponents now say they want politicians to make the law work, according to a new Pew Research Center study.
1 in 5 Wis. ACA applicants have not paid premium
One in every five Affordable Care Act applicants in Wisconsin has not yet paid their premium, according to Wisconsins MacIver Institute. The news comes on the heels of a Republican effort to uncover how many of the 5 million ACA enrollees across the country have paid their first premium.
2 ERISA requirements most employers fail to meet
Benefit brokers can better position themselves as a trusted adviser by helping clients maintain compliance with these ERISA requirements.
Nearly half of employers considering private exchanges
Forty-five percent of employers have implemented or plan to consider using a private exchange for their full-time active employees before 2018, according to a new employer survey conducted by the Private Exchange Evaluation Collaborative
HSA, HRA contributions reach record high in 2013
The number of employers contributing to health savings accounts or health reimbursement arrangements continues to grow, with 71% of employees reporting contributions from their employers in 2013, according to a new report by the Employee Benefit Research Institute.
Employees sue over excessive fees paid to broker
Novant Health violated ERISA when it allowed its Retirement Plus Plan to pay millions of dollars in excessive fees to third-party service providers, including the plans broker, a class action lawsuit filed Wednesday by current and former Novant employees claims.
The last goodbye: voluntary benefits can ease end-of-life planning
While its difficult to discuss your eventual death with those you love, its imperative to plan for it, not only for your sake, but for theirs. Employers can offer several voluntary benefits to help make this end-of-life planning and transition easier for their employees and the loved ones they leave behind.
Feds release employee compensation breakdown
Private industry employers spent, on average, $29.63 per hour worked for total employee compensation in December 2013, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday. Wages and salaries averaged $20.76 per hour worked and accounted for 70.1% of that cost, while benefits averaged $8.87 and accounted for the remaining 29.9%.
Insurance agency M&As dropped in 2013
The number of insurance agency mergers and acquisitions fell in 2013, with 248 reported transactions in the United States and Canada, down from a record 299 transactions in 2012, according to OPTIS Partners new semi-annual survey.
Dumping your spouse
Rising health care costs are driving employers to audit their covered dependents to eliminate working spouses.
Protecting employee personal data is a team sport
A panel including a security specialist and FTC privacy staffer talked Monday at an American Payroll Association meeting about common mistakes employers make with their employees personal data and what the right make-up of a privacy team at a company should look like.
Exchanges are not a one-size-fits-all solution
The private and public exchanges offer employers an opportunity to help manage costs and provide personalized benefits, but there is no one-size-fits-all solution, industry experts say.