Benefits Think

Commentary: With their merger, both Willis and Towers Watson are playing offense, creating a synergy that strengthens both firms by combining the unique strengths of each … the brokerage experience of Willis and the analytical, consultative services of Towers Watson.

Commentary: Having quality data is great for comparing health plan, facility and treatment performance, but it unfortunately hasn’t led to predictable costs.

Commentary: Let’s stop celebrating the financial merger of two faceless giants, and focus instead on the real work that agents, brokers and consultants are doing every day to make a difference, says adviser David C. Smith.

Commentary: Questions plan sponsors should be asking of their insurance carrier, payroll vendor and benefits technology provider in advance of the ACA’s information reporting requirements.

Commentary: High on everyone’s list of questions in any potential transaction is: What is the price or value given to my business? But the more important question is: What are the terms?

Commentary: The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 allows quality measurement organizations to develop quality measures using Medicare data and share it with employers and insurers for the purposes of designing their health plans.

Commentary: With the Supreme Court decision behind us, there are a series of critical concerns employers and their advisers must focus on now.

Commentary: The next case to watch, launched by Speaker John Boehner last November, could once again put public exchange assistance in jeopardy.

On June 10, 2015, the New York City Council approved a new law prohibiting public and private sector employers from inquiring about a job applicant's criminal record history before making a conditional offer of employment. The new law, dubbed the "Fair Chance Act," adds New York City to a growing list of state and local jurisdictions with bans against employers' inquiries into prospective employees' arrest and conviction records.

Today, in a 6-3 decision written by Chief Justice Roberts, the Supreme Court ruled in King v. Burwell that subsidies used to purchase health insurance in the 36 states on the federally facilitated marketplace are legal, thus avoiding the “death spiral” so often referred to by Congress. What does this ruling mean for employers?