Benefits Think The top 5 questions employers ask about private exchanges
Commentary: Although in their infancy, private exchanges have not yet met predicted adoption rates. Wells Fargos Dan Gowen shares why this may be the case.
Benefit plan design
Benefits Think The changing face of health assessment
Commentary: The teachable moment remains one of the most important potential benefits of a health assessment. Well-designed assessment tools provide a catalyst for lifestyle change by creating receptivity to health-related information and recommendations.
David Anderson
StayWell Health Management
Benefits Think The trickle-down effect of big perks
Commentary: Our focus on each item that comes along in the employee-employer relationship blinds us to the bigger picture issues.
Wendy Keneipp
Q4intelligence
How would UAW CO-OP get into gear?
A potential plan to pool the health care purchasing power of Detroits Big Three automakers in the form of a CO-OP or similar entity sounds intriguing to industry insiders, but they also caution that it wouldnt be an easy road.
Onsite clinics appealing, despite Cadillac tax uncertainties
Despite the regulatory uncertainty about how the Affordable Care Acts excise tax will apply to employer-sponsored care offered through onsite clinics, employers appear committed to the concept.
Benefits Think How health-related lost productivity can affect your clients
Commentary: Many brokers underestimate the impact a comprehensive disability management philosophy can have on the total cost of an employee benefits program.
Brian Kost
Standard Insurance Company
Benefits Think The ACA clock is ticking
Commentary: Just because vendors are promising you will avoid penalties because you were able to provide a good faith effort, doesnt mean you actually will be penalty-free.
Number of employers subject to Cadillac tax predicted to rise
The number of employers who could be subject to the ACAs Cadillac tax is predicted to rise if employers remain stagnant on health care plan changes, underscoring a need to make plan adjustments sooner rather than later.
Same-sex marriage: A checklist for plan sponsors
The Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges primarily affects the administration of benefits and almost exclusively applies to employers in those states that previously did not recognize same-sex marriage.
Benefits Think Why advisers should just say ‘no’ to RFPs
Commentary: EBA columnist Nelson Griswold says benefits RFPs are universally awful and HR should abandon them. Advisers, he says, should also be wary of them.
Benefits Think Automation is key to preparing health care industry for the future
Commentary: Specific innovations in benefits administration software are paving the way and supplying the technological framework to a future primarily based in cyberspace rather than buildings filled with people.
Benefits Think Netflix puts a spotlight on paid family leave
Commentary: Employee leave is right in the middle of policy and business management discussions. Benefit managers would be wise to get ahead of the curve.
Terri L. Rhodes
Disability Management Employer Coalition
Health care shopping patterns point to employee education needs
Despite some progress in making employees smarter consumers of health care, pockets of resistance remain, sometimes in surprising places.
Hope of congressional intervention shifts Cadillac tax to neutral
Large employers are playing a waiting game in the coming year on health care cost saving strategies as many wait and see how Washington politics play out.
Discount purchase programs struggle amid sea of voluntary offerings
Despite potential savings offered, voluntary programs that provide discounts on products, services and tickets to employees are rarely used and seeing almost no growth year-over-year.
Benefits Think 3 tips for selling a shared-accountability health care strategy
The business response to the ACA, coupled with the growing health care consumerism movement, is rapidly changing the relationship between employer and employee.
Benefits Think Dont expect Netflix to start a trend
Commentary: We have to stop and recognize that certain industries will always offer better benefits than others, adviser David C. Smith says of Netflixs news it will offer a full year of paid parental leave.
David C. Smith
Ebenconcepts
Withdrawal liability is mounting for multiemployer pension plans
Commentary: Pension liability risk management is now more critical than ever. If an employer triggers a withdrawal, they need to act within 90 days to preserve their legal rights.
Education necessary as more employers move to offer HSAs
HSAs are growing in popularity as a health benefit offering and experts say they could save employers a lot in health care costs. But employees still need expert advice to understand how and when to use HSAs and how to maximize their full potential.
Employers add drug plan tiers to address proliferation of specialty drugs
With the cost of pharmaceuticals consuming an ever-increasing proportion of health benefit expenditures, many employers are responding by adding pricing tiers to their drug plan designs.