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Atul Gawande became my hero when I read "The Cost Conundrum" in the June 2009 issue of The New Yorker. The article explores the question of why Medicare costs in McAllen, Texas, are higher than any other place in United States. Gawande, a surgeon at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, went to McAllen and conducted his own investigation into the matter.

For the last five years or so, the conventional wisdom on wellness programs is that health risk assessments and biometric screenings are the way to get the best data on employee health status, you have to juice participation by offering incentives, and you have to be prepared to spend a pretty penny to get tangible results.

Last October, President Obama signed into law the Plain Writing Act, which calls for communications from the federal government that are clear, concise and well-organized. An associate professor of English recently talked to EBN about how employers can incorporate plain language principles into their benefits communications.

With the summer season upon us, your and your employees' thoughts likely have turned to where you'll be spending your vacation time. Perhaps you enjoy lounging on the beach, soaking up the sun, while you bury yourself in a good book.

We all know that employee wellness is the buzz in many organizations. In fact, a recently released health and productivity survey by Willis North America's human capital practice showed that senior leadership commitment to improving employee health significantly increased to 42% in 2010, compared with 6% in 2009

Human resources departments have faced significant cuts due to the economic downturn. Adding the annual benefits marketing to an overloaded schedule can overwhelm an already lean benefits department.

Health insurance exchanges under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act may pose a threat to COBRA.

Recently, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials audited the popular burrito chain, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc., which fired hundreds of illegal workers as a result. Using Chipotle as a cautionary tale, employers cannot turn a blind eye to illegal workers, as Chipotle allegedly did - one woman claims she gave the company two false social security numbers when applying for positions within the company.

A.M. Best, Moody’s Investors Service and Standard & Poor’s (S&P) released ratings updates. These are some of the most recent. This list was complied by Jennifer Morrell of Insurance Networking News, a SourceMedia publication.

Nebraska lawmakers unanimously approved changes to collective bargaining for public workers on May 25 but the debate was not as divisive as in some other states, and the outcome was a compromise.