Benefit plan design

The introduction of new legislation to repeal the ACA’s employer mandate seeks to relieve employers of health care reform requirements Republicans say threaten job creation and growth. While many in the benefits industry applaud an effort widely considered futile, the employer mandate is only one of several ACA concerns employers say they have prioritized.

As many as 6 million U.S. taxpayers will have to pay a penalty of as much as 1 percent of income because they went without health insurance in part or all of 2014, the Treasury Department said.

The Affordable Care Act has a lot of work to do to get Americans more employer-based health coverage, particularly those working for small companies.

President Barack Obama is dropping his proposal to tax the earnings on college savings accounts, responding to criticism of an idea the White House announced 10 days ago.

While employers deal with ACA reporting requirements and communication campaigns that explain the public health insurance exchanges, some have turned to health care technology startups in hopes of elevating the open-enrollment experience for their employees.

A useful platform that protects employee information is critical; is your firm prepared to meet client demands?

A new guide is available to help employers ensure their health plan vendors stay compliant with the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, and includes updated information on the ACA.

Employer-sponsored health insurance premiums grew more slowly in 31 states and the District of Columbia between 2010 and 2013, following passage of the Affordable Care Act, but they still grew more quickly than household incomes.

President Barack Obama Thursday pushed for programs that would help states develop paid leave programs for childbirth and adoption, as well as fund Labor Department feasibility studies on paid leave.

Stay current with this checklist of 2015 contribution limits for retirement and health care benefit plans.

Proposed legislation the White House is sending to Congress to fight cyber attacks includes more protections for consumers than new requirements on companies to better protect the data that they hold.

Despite worries about increasing health care costs for individuals, employee contributions to their health care plans are actually dropping, but employer cost and employee contributions also vary widely based on an employer’s industry, new research from UBA finds.

The advent of private and public health care exchanges has expanded employers’ horizons to consider subsidizing pre-Medicare eligible retiree health benefits through the individual market.

Congress’ first week was a busy one, as new lawmakers worked to make changes to the Affordable Care Act — changes employers should bear in mind as they develop their benefit plan and ACA compliance strategies in the coming year.

As one of the new Congress’ first moves, the House passed H.R. 22, which would ease some of the administrative burden of the Affordable Care Act for small employers who hire veterans.

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services had reported a drop in hospital medical mistakes, and many point to better use of health information technology - a trend employers may also take advantage of.

The ever-increasing scope of wellness technology is drawing more and more employees into worksite programs, but keeping those workers on track can still be a challenge.

The growth of part-time faculty as a mainstay of many college staffs has made providing appropriate benefits to academics more of a challenge.

Plan sponsors continue to invest 401(k) assets in stocks, but employees and other individuals are increasingly seeking investment diversification.

These facilities can reduce health care costs and improve employee productivity, survey finds.