Benefit plan design

Commentary: Such tools stimulate enhanced benefits administration for corporate clients, particularly within these four aspects of coverage.

Commentary: Countless conversations with brokers struggling with 6055 and 6056 concerns show many find their applicable large employer clients are challenged to find practical solution for this reporting, says EmployeeTech’s Michael Weiskirch.

Does giving employees multiple choices of health plans drive competition and empower them pick plans offering the greatest value and highest quality care –the theory underlying the Affordable Care Act and many employers’ benefit plan designs?

Whatever employers have spent to comply with the Affordable Care Act so far, some feel the costliest years are yet to come.

Multi-employers that continue to offer health care benefits to retirees are embracing retiree-only plans as a cost-saving measure. While retiree-only plans are not subject to all of the rules of the ACA, there are still requirements employers and advisers should be aware of.

Employers may need to redouble their efforts to help employees understand the opportunity presented by a high deductible health plan with an accompanying health savings account.

When looking to attract and retain employees – and when benefit programs are mostly comprised of standard health plans and standard 401(k) programs – employers should consider workplace culture as a key differentiator.

The benchmark for demonstrating return on investment of population health management programs has been medical cost savings. But that's notion is changing as employers are discovering that several other measures of program success are also in their grasp.

Remote access to care is expected to soar as telehealth offerings prove to be major time and money saver for employers.

Smaller companies and non-profits are among the organizations that are contemplating a switch in how they manage employee benefits.

Explosive growth in the individual market is forcing brokers who work with very small groups to change their business models —and often receive less commission in the process.

Forty percent of Americans aren’t receiving regular dental care – and it’s costing employers.

As technology and health care become more intertwined, a visit to the doctor can be as easy as a touch of an app. UnitedHealthcare Thursday announced an expansion of telehealth coverage options for virtual physician visits.

Prescription drug prices continue to rise in 2015, compelling employers and their advisers to take action through innovative plan designs.

Generic pharmaceuticals have maintained their “laggard” status compared to branded and specialty drugs with respect to rising prices.

Retirement account balances reached a record high $91,800 in the first quarter of 2015, and more than 1 million people increased the rate at which they are putting money aside for the future.

The funded status of the 100 largest corporate pensions dropped by $6 billion in March, increasing the deficit to $349 billion, according to the Milliman 100 Pension Funding Index.

The reality is that monitoring your service providers is an essential component to fulfilling your fiduciary duty as an employer. The tangible tasks that you must take on, such as, reviewing performance and educating participants, are easily executed. The confusion lies in the intangibles.

The EEOC released its highly anticipated, proposed regulations setting forth the EEOC’s interpretation of the term “voluntary” as to the disability-related inquiries and medical examination provisions of the American with Disabilities Act.

In a sign of increasing employer urgency for results, the percentage of wellness program sponsors offering incentives for various forms of employee engagement with those efforts rose to 87% last year, up from 77% two years ago.