Benefit plan design

The push for accountable care organizations is driven in large part by the Affordable Care Act and its emphasis on quality care and downward pressure on overall health costs. But how viable are they, and should your organization consider using one?

Commentary: Critical considerations that make a stop-loss plan successful for clients of all sizes, according to Sun Life’s Brad Nieland.

Commentary: Employers who start revising their FMLA policies to address this change should also use it as an opportunity to review their benefit plan language to make sure it accurately reflects the updated definition.

California's struggling to pay for health care for retired state employees, with an estimated $72 billion in medical costs coming in the next 30 years. Gov. Jerry Brown's solution: Make workers start contributing money to pay for the health care they'll need after retiring.

Mid-year enrollment of voluntary benefits is gaining popularity, but benefit experts caution the strategy is not right for everyone.

Increased utilization of EAP and wellness services, the emergence of fatigue management programs and more demand for mobile health applications are a few of the predictions for this year, according to Chestnut Global Partners.

Novartis’ Zarxio is the first biosimilar product approved in the United States, ushering in a new era for the drug industry, consumers and third parties who manage medical and drug benefits.

As many as 90,000 Sears employees are finding it easier to shop for health care, are savvier about their coverage choices and finally understand the meaning of value since the 129-year-old retailer switched to a private health insurance exchange three years ago.

Commentary: Follow these formulas to drive participant outcomes as employers look to help employees save for retirement by helping them get to a higher savings rate.

Commentary: It’s time to start thinking outside the box and considering life insurance and fixed indexed annuities as alternative investments or sub investment classes within fixed income for retirement plans.

Year two under the ACA saw improved user experience, more choices for consumers and millions of Americans qualified for subsidies, Kevin Counihan says.

The broker-carrier relationship, especially one as long-lasting as Bob and William Taylor’s with Florida Blue and Darnell Smith, is dynamic and continuously evolving. EBA examines what makes this necessary partnership tick and introduces the top large-group insurance carriers in the country.

More employers are making disability income benefits available to employees, at the same time that the proportion of those employees who have access to disability income DI coverage choosing to take advantage of it is edging downward.

Is the end of employer-provided health insurance near? The heads of Zane Benefits say it is and claim a paradigm shift is moving the benefits industry toward defined contribution employer-funded health care, instead.

Commentary: HR professionals must band together to share how we are handling our ACA reporting responsibilities and to pressure our vendor suppliers for better solutions and continued innovation, says Lockton's Matthew Kaiser.

Commentary: There’s a lot for your clients to consider when carefully managing intermittent leaves. The Standard's Lincoln Dirks goes in-depth on the paperwork that outlines the parameters for an absence — certifications and recertifications.

Critical illness insurance is among the fastest growing voluntary benefits, but it’s also among the most difficult to grasp for employees. In developing its new CI insurance line, Trustmark did research to better understand the market.

Commentary: Last month reminded blogger David C. Smith of the last 10 minutes of The Godfather and The Godfather Part II. In the last four weeks, Treasury, Labor and Health and Human Services settled their business in a concerted effort to make clear what would be permitted or prohibited when it came to compliance with the law.

Senior executives “get” the link between employee health and performance to a greater degree than middle and front-line managers, and this could be be significant for departments locked in budget battles seeking greater resources for health promotion efforts.

Commentary: With the use of intermittent leave, a type of Family and Medical Leave Act job protection, on the rise, The Standard's Lincoln Dirks says this type of leave potentially may become a growing burden for your clients.