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The economic burden of illness is highest for hypertension – $392 per eligible employee – compared to nine other conditions, including heart disease, depression and mental illness, and arthritis, according to some research.

Employers are using a variety of solutions, such as telemedicine, narrow network plans and online enrollment to contain rising health care costs — and each tactic has increased in popularity in the past year, according to Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s 2015 benefits strategy and benchmarking survey.

The U.S. had a $968 billion shortfall in 2013 — up $54 billion from the prior year — between the pension benefits that were promised to employees and what was actually saved to make those payments, according to a recent report by Pew Charitable Trusts. Here are the states with the worst-funded pension programs.

Commentary: If the owner/seller has a management team that can’t sustain the growth of the company without his personal involvement, the business represents little value to a buyer.

Commentary: Why exclude an individual if they want to sign up for short-term disability on their Xbox or refrigerator’s Wi-Fi enabled display? This is what people expect in 2015.

Even with an employer match, many employees still choose not to contribute to their 401(k) plan.

Jiff CEO Derek Newell discusses the role data analytics plays in reducing health care costs as well as the company’s relationship with benefit brokers.

Those calling for repeal of the Affordable Care Act are split on what to do should the law be repealed.

Brokers played a key role in helping individuals enroll in health care coverage on the marketplaces under the ACA — 60% of brokers helped up to 50 consumers during the 2015 open enrollment period, and 20% helped more than 100, according to the 2015 Kaiser Foundation Survey of Health Insurance Marketplace Assister Programs and Brokers. However, brokers reported that selling individual policies is more time consuming and less profitable since the ACA was implemented. Here are some other broker-related findings from the survey.

It’s increasingly clear that employers must deliver a consumer-grade experience to employees on many levels, including benefits communication.