Benefits Think

In light of PPACA being upheld by the Supreme Court, grumpy guest blogger Karrie Andes struggles to find the motivation to start working on her company's W-2 reporting.

The recent Supreme Court ruling came as a surprise to a number of people, maybe even most people. However, even among those who expected all or some part of the law to be overturned, about half of them, according to a survey of 4,000 employers by Mercer, were ants, in that they had already started to make preparations for the requirements of the law.

As EBN Editor-in-Chief Kelley Butler heads out on maternity leave until October, Employee Benefit Views will still be a place to obtain and offer a new perspective on various benefits-related issues — as she introduces not one, but two, guest bloggers for the next 12 weeks.

This blog covers how to manage the changes insurance and benefits agencies are making as a result of a changing business model. One of the questions we hear a lot in these discussions is “Whose responsibility is that?”

Although men undeniably come out ahead in the workplace when it comes to the pay gap and the leadership gap, new research from PsychTests.com indicates that a managerial gap may exist — and that in certain areas, women have a leg up on men.

Ever since the Supreme Court issued its ruling to uphold the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act last Thursday, family, friends and colleagues have been asking me, “What do you think of the ruling? Is it good? Is it bad? Does it matter?” In the grand scheme of things, maybe it matters; maybe it doesn’t. Yet, in case you wondered, here it is.

Talk about hogging the spotlight! Washington DC is driving the uproar around the reaction to the recent Supreme Court decision and all we’ve been seeing in the national media is coverage of the political ramifications. What does this mean to the political landscape? What’s Obama saying? Romney? Sure, the recent decision will define the road to election 2012 in November. It’s a landmark decision. We get it. …

Now in their fourth year, EBN's i-COMM Awards recognize the best in internal communication of benefits. EBN honors initiatives that advance the objectives of the benefits/HR department and the strategic goals of an organization, including increasing employees' benefit participation, helping employees derive greater value from benefits, improving employee satisfaction and/or achieving cost savings.

Now in their 21st year, EBN's annual Benny Awards honor excellence and achievement in the HR/benefits profession, and are granted to employee benefits or HR practitioners directly involved in the management of employee benefit programs. The awards always bring out the best of the best, and this year was no different.

Although it seems most Americans are set in their views of health care reform, the health insurance industry is launching a PR campaign to change how it is viewed, and is leveraging the Supreme Court's impending ruling on the law to do so.