EBN’s top 10 stories of 2017

Published December 26, 2017 6:50 PM

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Updated December 26, 2017 6:54 PM

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The White House and the South Lawn sit in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, Oct. 28, 2010. Republicans are poised to retake the U.S. House next week without a mandate from voters to carry out their policies, a Bloomberg National Poll shows. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg

Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg

Top 10 stories of 2017

As Donald Trump took the White House, policies employers have been prepping for — from the fate of the ACA to the DOL’s overtime rule — made a few dramatic shifts. Additionally, healthcare costs continued to rise and retirement readiness played a dominant role in headlines. These articles from the editors of EBN have been 2017’s most viewed items.

U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Republican from Wisconsin, center, holds up a copy of the American Health Care Act while Representative Greg Walden, a Republican from Oregon, right, and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from California, listen during a news conference at the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, March 7, 2017. Ryan's new bill to replace Obamacare is being savaged by early bad reviews from a wide range of conservatives, with one Republican senator declaring it "dead on arrival" in the Senate -- if it can make it through the House. Photographer: Zach Gibson/Bloomberg

Zach Gibson/Bloomberg

1. What the new GOP healthcare bill means for employers

While the bill’s fate ultimately died in the Senate, there are still a number of its provisions employers should still be aware of that could appear in the year ahead.

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2. 9 benefit trends to watch in 2018

Industry experts weigh in on a range of pain points facing employees, such as managing student debt, and the products that are designed to address them.

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3. IRS announces 2018 retirement plan contribution limits

Employees will be allowed to contribute an extra $500 to their 401(k) next year. Further, the limit on elective deferral for contributions to 401(k) plans, 403(b) plans, most 457 plans, and the federal government’s Thrift Savings Plan will increase from $18,000 in 2017 to $18,500 for 2018.

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Congress is set to take up its third government funding continuing resolution so far this fiscal year. New infrastructure funds need a full FY22 budget in order to begin to flow to states.

Bloomberg News

4. Self-insurance bill passes House vote

The Self-Insurance Protection Act, which protects medical stop-loss, passed in April with a 400-16 vote, which could protect and keep costs down for small and mid-sized self-insured employers.

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5. Zenefits to exit BOR business, work with agencies to license its technology

Atlanta-based OneDigital is the company’s first brokerage partner and will take over the San Francisco firm’s 7,000 client list.

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President Donald Trump signs his first executive order as president, ordering federal agencies to ease the burden of President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C. on January 20, 2017. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI

KEVIN DIETSCH/UPI

6. What Trump’s ACA executive order means for employers

Right out of the gate, Trump signaled to the country his intent at replacing his predecessor’s signature healthcare policy.

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7. HSAs to see explosive growth

Health savings accounts are becoming vastly more important for employees because they not only help with medical savings, but put workers on a better track for retirement, experts say.

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Aetna world headquartersare seen in Hartford, Connecticut on December 13, 2001. The largest US health insurer will eliminate 6,000 jobs, or about 16% of its workforce. Photographer: Michael J. Doolittle/ Bloomberg News.

Michael J. Doolittle /Bloomberg News

8. How Aetna eased its employees’ financial worries

After noticing that workers were borrowing against their 401(k)s, the insurer launched a fiscal wellbeing program to address their money woes.

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9. Lawmakers introduce student debt legislation

A bipartisan bill would give employers and workers new opportunities to tackle growing debt woes.

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10. Why more employers are offering part-time employees full benefits

UPS, Penguin Random House, Baird and a growing number of companies are giving hourly workers a full suite of enviable perks — and seeing long-term loyalty as a result.

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