Client strategies

Who will do most of the work implementing PPACA? Blogger Ed Bray, J.D., sees a tide that could be turning to a shared role between human resources and finance.

How do you present PPACA to clients and how does that help you prepare for the future? EBA Blogger Mark Lacher shares three things he has learned in his presentations.

The Summary of Benefits and Coverage is supposed to be an easy-to-understand summary about a health plan's benefits and coverage. But guest blogger Ed Bray maintains the SBC has the potential to confuse employees.

During an at times confrontational second debate between President Barack Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney, health care and the landmark health care reform bill were, surprisingly, not a focus, and when the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act did come up, it was primarily used as an attack vehicle.

In the immortal words of Albert Einstein, “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result.” Are you trapped in this pattern? If so, embrace the guiding principle of evolve or perish to take your career to the next level. As I travel the country, speaking with my colleagues at state and local health underwriter association meetings about surviving and thriving in a post-health care reform world —…

The surprise vote by Chief Justice John Roberts to uphold the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act at the end of June really was a bold decision that redefined the Commerce Clause. In an era when ego, power and politics rule, Roberts made the brave decision not to use judicial power to overrule the democratic process. He actually gave us an early Independence Day gift by not letting the Supreme Court define the future of…

As carriers ramp up to gain market share ahead of PPACA, Aetna acquires Coventary —increasing its overall share of government health plans to more than 30%, and nearly 42 million members nationwide.

With the recent Supreme Court ruling now finalized and the minimum essential health insurance provisions in place, companies have begun to ask us “What’s next?” or “What will the financial impact be for our company in 2014?” My belief is that by taking a proactive approach to the individual mandate and understanding the impact on your company’s financials, you will be able to make that critical decision whether to continue offering a group health care…

Talk about hogging the spotlight! Washington DC is driving the uproar around the reaction to the recent Supreme Court decision and all we’ve been seeing in the national media is coverage of the political ramifications. What does this mean to the political landscape? What’s Obama saying? Romney? Sure, the recent decision will define the road to election 2012 in November. It’s a landmark decision. We get it. …

The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act with the individual mandate being upheld under the Congressional power of taxation.

At 2 p.m. EST tomorrow experts will provide insight on the fate of the mandate for individuals to purchase health coverage, and the finding on the constitutionality of PPACA as a whole. Sign up for the web seminar which will be held hours after the decision is released.

There is a lot riding on the Supreme Court’s health reform decision for all stakeholders. Brokers and consultants need to be prepared to advise their clients, says EBA Advisory Board member Mark Gaunya, who highlights what you should be thinking about while we wait for the decision.

The annual MetLife Study of Employee Benefits Trends, which tracks major trends and attitudes on the subject of employee benefits, was recently released and it has a good news/bad news message for employers. EBA contributor Ron Leopold shares five ways progressive employers stand out in the benefits arena.

One broker looks at how his company walks the talk with wellness programs and says how that can work for all your clients.

Brokers play a key role in helping plan sponsors establish a healthier workplace, but one main problem still affects employers today — dealing with the lack of resources that are available to improve employee health and productivity at the workplace, according to a white paper from The Standard.

Two years after President Barack Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law, the U.S. Supreme Court this month will hear oral arguments on the constitutionality of the individual mandate that requires all individuals who can afford it to buy health insurance. The Court will also determine whether the Medicaid expansion is constitutional, which may affect employers with retiree health care plans. The majority of employers, however, are attuned to the Court's decision on the individual mandate and how much of the law will survive if that provision is found unconstitutional. Whatever the Supreme Court ultimately decides in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services v. Florida, here EBA outlines each potential ruling concerning the constitutionality of the individual mandate and how it affects plan sponsors and advisers alike.

Common sense seems to be in short supply these days, especially when it comes to application of the rules under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Here’s a case in point: we’ve heard that some accountants have made the Act’s so-called Cadillac Tax a focus point of their current accounting protocol for retiree health plans. …

Employer-sponsored plans — especially 401(k)s — help employees at the lower end of the wage scale to save.

Can you imagine a world where the “new norm” required insurers and providers to disclose what they charge upfront? Read as Mark Gaunya, president of the Massachusetts Association of Health Underwriters, shares two specific messages he took to the Hill at the Cap Conference and the outcome.

Question: Amid all the changes the health insurance industry is undergoing, are there any trends in 2012 that brokers and agents can embrace to counter shrinking commissions and evaporating accounts? It’s been almost two years since the enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and employers are still looking for solutions to their health benefits concerns. As a result, I see two major trends defining both the economic environment and the business opportunities that…