Healthcare

Experts at PwC’s Health Research Institute weigh in on the top issues of 2011 that will take front and center for the health care industry.

In 2010, more employees were asked to do more with less, which can create a work environment where some employees become addicted to work.

The Internal Revenue Service issued new guidance allowing the continued use of flexible spending arrangement and health reimbursement arrangement debit cards for the purchase of prescribed over-the-counter medicines and drugs.

As the first ruling in federal court to declare a portion of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act unconstitutional, Virginia Judge Henry Hudson’s Dec. 13 finding that the individual mandate provision falls outside "constitutional boundaries” puts a kink in the armor of President Barack Obama’s health reform package — but the battle over PPACA is just beginning.

Digital Insurance Inc., which serves small and midsize companies, recently named Wayne Mertel vice president of voluntary solutions.

In a fresh reminder that more change is coming to an uncertain long-term care insurance market, MetLife will no longer sell new such policies and discontinue new enrollments into existing group and multi-life LTC plans.

Is bare-bones health insurance coverage better than no coverage at companies that cannot afford to offer comprehensive benefits?

Voluntary benefits are seen as a palatable alternative to no employer-paid coverage or more costly policies in the individual insurance market, suggests the first in a series of research briefs based on Prudential Financial Inc.’s fifth annual study of employee benefits.

U.S. employers believe that managing the changes resulting from health care reform is a critical business issue, yet few organizations have conducted a full analysis of the legislation’s financial impact, according to a new report from Ernst & Young.

According to a recent report in the Christian Science Monitor, some 17% of you allow dogs in the office. If you’re looking to join the ranks, CSM lists the top five dog-friendly companies.