Employer Strategies

After the partisan passions and heated rhetoric, the disruptions of a government shutdown and displays of dysfunction, Congress did what it could have done weeks ago: voted to fund the government and lift the debt limit.

Exactly how bad are things on the federal health care exchanges? Sunday’s New York Times brought a deeply reported piece from Robert Pear, Sharon LaFraniere and Ian Austen.

Congress, faced with a borrowing deadline of midnight, considers sweeping deals that could impact retirement plans, Obamacare and, it almost goes with saying, economic stability and market security in general.

As Congress enters its final day to solve the debt ceiling and shutdown debacle before Thursday’s deadline, employee benefits insiders say there could be some last-minute changes that surprise the industry.

Ranging in size from 100 to 30,000 employees, the exchange’s employers include Petco, Kinder Morgan and the Addison Group.

Periodically re-evaluating your role in the retirement business environment can yield some stark insights.

Eleven days into the federal government shutdown, employee benefits attorneys assess the short-term and long-term potential implications for your business and benefits strategy.

While much attention has been focused on the federal government shutdown and its effect on Affordable Care Act regulations, employers are still awaiting guidance on another key piece of legislation affecting benefits plans, the Defense of Marriage Act.

Cigna has instructed brokers to halt selling insurance to individuals who are subsidy-eligible through its federal health care exchange broker portals.

Having people shop for medical care the way they shop for cars or stereos might be ideal, in some ways. But it is not attainable as long as the shoppers are human beings.