Melissa A. Winn

For small employers hesitant about the cost and workload involved with administering a retirement plan, benefit advisers can offer SIMPLE IRAs as an option.

Republican House members are challenging the DOL’s efforts to require retirement advisers to follow a fiduciary standard, saying it reduces access to options and conflicts with the Dodd-Frank Act.

The Supreme Court today will hear arguments in King v. Burwell, the highly anticipated case challenging the legality of subsidies available for individuals purchasing health insurance on the federal exchange under the Affordable Care Act.

Increasingly diverse workforces are creating a benefit communications challenge for employers and their advisers.

Is it legal for employers to drop health care coverage and pay for employees to go to the exchanges? One industry expert says yes — if you use this payroll option.

HHS has issued a final rule saying it will not qualify employer-sponsored health plans that fail to cover inpatient hospitalization as meeting the minimum value health plan standard under the ACA.

Embracing private exchange solutions is, some say, imperative for brokers who want to survive in the industry, yet many remain confused about just how to do so.

The IRS and Dept. of Treasury are seeking comments on several issues related to the Cadillac tax, including what constitutes employer-sponsored coverage and different approaches for determining the cost of applicable coverage.

Assurant Health says it will no longer pay commissions on new business in certain markets, a move the carrier calls a sales approach, but some industry experts say is part of a trend that’s pushing agents out of business.

With the support of the White House, the DOL today submitted to OMB its revised fiduciary rule proposal for retirement brokers, a move industry stakeholders are calling an ‘attack’ on retirement advisers.

How high-cost specialty drugs are altering the duties of the benefit adviser and pharmacy benefit manager

CMS has extended the Feb. 15 ACA open enrollment deadline after technical glitches prevented some individuals from signing up for health care coverage over the weekend.

Educating employers and employees about retirement using a holistic approach, advisers say, has increased employee understanding and engagement in their benefit plans.

The Senate and House of Representatives are pushing legislation to exempt volunteer fire fighters and emergency responders from the Affordable Care Act’s employer mandate.

The Senate and House of Representatives are pushing legislation to exempt volunteer fire fighters and emergency responders from the Affordable Care Act’s employer mandate.

Benefit experts and thought leaders will discuss some of the most important and possibly industry-changing trends for the coming year at this year’s Workplace Benefits Renaissance in Atlantic City, Feb. 24-26.

A new bipartisan bill has been introduced on the House floor to separate broker commissions from a medical loss ratio formula many in the industry say threatens agent compensation.

Employers opting to drop or forgo health care coverage for employees are still eager for ways to help their staff manage health care needs. Benefit firm FirstPerson has unveiled a unique solution to do just that.

Brokers and agents say the state exchanges did little to engage them during the first enrollment period under the ACA, and many in the industry agree improving the partnership between the exchanges and brokers will be critical to the survival of the state marketplaces.

Broker information was not compromised as part of a cyber-attack on Anthem’s IT system and the carrier says it is working with brokers to assist and inform their clients about the breach.