Banco Popular de Puerto Rico

Aetna’s recent acquisition of Humana sparked plenty of debate about what this means for the industry and what the future holds for benefit brokers. Here are some reactions EBA readers had this week.

Most people in the U.S. approve of the Supreme Court's June 25 ruling to uphold the legality of subsidies used to purchase health insurance on the federally facilitated marketplace. The 6-3 decision in King v. Burwell means that tax credits continue to be valid in the 34 FFM states. Here are some other key findings from the latest Kaiser Family Foundation health tracking poll.

Health Savings Accounts continue to gain popularity as a health coverage/savings option for employers and their employees. Yet, there are still some common misconceptions and a lack of awareness surrounding some HSA features and benefits, says HealthEquity. The HSA custodian company shares 7 HSA features that many consumers may find surprising.

Helping clients ensure compliance with the Affordable Care Act is a major part of a benefit adviser’s job. Here are some HR and payroll issues that advisers should pay particular attention to, according to Karen Kirkpatrick, owner of On Your Mark Consulting.

There was a lot of federal action this week concerning the insurance industry. The Supreme Court ruled to uphold ACA subsidies and the Senate introduced two bills, one aimed to give brokers equal access to marketplace enrollment information and another to separate commissions from MLR requirements. Here’s what EBA readers had to say.

After Thursday’s Supreme Court ruling upholding subsides on the federally-facilitated marketplace, the industry was quick to react. The Justices’ majority and minority opinions and those of advisers, lawyers and even the president reveal what it means for the Affordable Care Act, exchanges and employer-sponsored health care.

While based on a few fundamental concepts, retirement planning is constantly changing. Two big drivers of change are technology and federal regulations, says Nick Kralj, director of retirement and quality control at BCI Group. Here are five trends in retirement planning every retirement adviser, plan sponsor and participant should know about.

Aetna is eliminating broker commissions on small-group business in some states. That news generated a variety of reactions this week — some were shocked, others weren’t, the move was condemned and also touted. Here are some thoughts from EBA readers.

Which brokerages have the most clients in the biggest industries in the U.S.? From construction to finance, education to manufacturing — and more, EBA, in partnership with business intelligence data analytics firm miEdge, reveals the top three brokerages in 10 U.S. industries. The listing is based on Form 5500 Schedule A reporting data on premiums as of March 31, 2015.

As benefit advisers and administrators, it’s easy to understand that open enrollment entails far more than the exercise of actually enrolling employees in their benefits. The most successful open enrollments are the result of year-round continuous improvement through planning, monitoring, and communicating with employees. Here are five ways benefit advisers and professionals can help ensure a successful 2015 open enrollment, according to the HR tech firm Benefitfocus.