Exchanges

Highlights of the expected legislation include limiting tax exclusions on employer-provided health insurance to $12,000 for individual coverage and $30,000 for family coverage and dismantling Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act in favor of state grants.

The U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision Monday that could have far-reaching implications for how long a retirement plan participant has to sue an employer for breach of fiduciary duty in a 401(k) plan.

For many benefits professionals, the different private exchange offerings and the varied value propositions they present can be overwhelming. So let’s take a step back and examine the issues one at a time.

The U.S. Supreme Court said 401(k) plans have a duty to monitor the investment options they offer, in a ruling that may help investors press lawsuits over underperforming funds and excessive fees.

The head of a Senate investigative subcommittee said he plans to look into problems with the health insurance marketplaces set up for the Affordable Care Act that forced many taxpayers to owe some of the tax credit money they had received for buying health insurance.

Commentary: New guidance suggests that OIG expects governing boards to understand the organization’s compliance obligations, work closely with management to monitor and enhance the organization’s compliance program, and to encourage compliance accountability across the organization.

With year three open enrollment on the horizon, state-run health care exchanges are busy building out systems and processes while renegotiating contracts, all to improve the customer experience, data flow and costs.

Great technology tools may help a public exchange grow in the short term, but knowing the customer base and business well enough to make the right investments is critical to an exchange becoming sustainable and successful in the long run.

Healthcare.gov runs the risk of offering too many health plan choices and the opportunity exists to be able to make it easier for consumers to compare coverage, the website’s CEO, Kevin Counihan, said Monday.

Most employers have still not determined how they will comply with complex ACA reporting requirements that began Jan. 1. Benefit brokers and consultants should be discussing the requirements and the solutions with their employer clients, experts say.