Banco Popular de Puerto Rico

A long-fought battle to ease the burden of insurance brokers’ licensing procedures moved a step closer to reality on Thursday afternoon. Still, hurdles remain for NARAB, with passage in the House uncertain, and the White House scrutinizing some components of the language.

A Kaiser Family Foundation poll released Thursday shows Americans’ bad perception of the ACA is near an all-time high. Meanwhile, brokers’ negativity about their ability to do their jobs on the exchanges has subsided.

While President Obama mentioned taxes a number of times in his State of the Union speech last night, the details were scant.

A joke, a good start or a breakthrough?

Despite fixes made to the health insurance marketplaces, two-thirds of Americans (66%) surveyed in mid-January still say the opening has “not gone well” or worse, according to a new Associated Press-GfK survey.

WellPoint Inc., the second-biggest U.S. medical insurer, added 500,000 new members since Obamacare enrollment began and while they are older and sicker than current members, CEO isn’t worried about the risk pool.

President Barack Obama’s inclusion of retirement security in Tuesday night’s State of the Union Address was mostly welcomed by the benefits community, but left some disappointed by a perceived “attack” on the 401(k).

The status of payments to brokers for their work signing up consumers across the nation varies from state to state and broker to broker, with some missing nearly 50% of commissions and others reporting no problems whatsoever.

An increase in the offering of consumer-driven health care products has not translated into increased understanding on the part of consumers — exposing a need for more assistance from benefit professionals and educational tools.

For most employers, the Hobby Lobby decision will have little impact, meaning they will have to comply with the ACA as written. Looking for loopholes can be risky, not just for ACA compliance but also for ERISA compliance, generally.