Benefit plan design

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.

When employers are searching for new coverage options, they will encounter some big name insurance companies, familiar hospital/provider systems and new insurance companies all offering coverage options. How does one sort out who’s who?

UnitedHealth Group Inc. is poised for HIX-related growth in 2015 on the heels of solid third-quarter revenue.

On Jan. 1, 2015, the Affordable Care Act’s employer shared responsibility rules went live for many employers. Despite final rules and regulation from the government, here is a partial list of unresolved items that would benefit from additional guidance.

CMS has released the 2015 list of counties where health plan carriers and some employers must provide information in a language other than English.

Voluntary benefit options gained popularity in 2014, providing solutions for employers and employees, as well as a business opportunity for benefit advisers.

Employers need to take a fresh look at their retirement plans annually because there is still a “significant problem” with retirement readiness.

Reducing health care costs is still the No. 1 reason U.S. employers implement wellness programs.

Three legal organizations allege in a new Equal Employment Opportunity Commission charge against Walmart that the retail giant did not go far enough to offer reasonable accommodations for pregnant workers with temporary disabilities. The National Women’s Law Center, A Better Balance and Mehri & Skalet, PLLC highlight in a Dec. 17 statement that the charge is on behalf of Candis Riggins, a former Walmart employee, whose job tasks caused her to become ill when she was…

A plan needs to be established for replacing business owners and/or C-suite executives to ensure a smooth transition and to keep the company sustainable and thriving.

Delaying health plan renewals appears to be the new normal under the Affordable Care Act, especially for small businesses.