Commentary: Having watched the physicians obtain 17 legislative delays on SGR, adviser Craig Hasday is less than optimistic that the federal government will be successful in their laudable efforts at payment reform.

Commentary: Small things get big in a customer’s mind, and the next thing you know, the customer is gone — for good.

Commentary: Small employers that reimburse employees or pay directly for all or part of their health coverage have a short window to cease this practice, or they will be subject to an expensive excise tax.

Commentary: Many benefit brokers live by the idea that face-to-face onsite service is the only way to provide quality service. Certainly that is one of the advantages a local broker has, being local. But times change, says HR Technology Advisors’ Joe Markland.

Best-performing state exchanges have thrived on strong, coordinated and targeted outreach, as well as enrollment-assistance programs that are embedded in the community.

Commentary: There are certain areas of an asset allocation where there is real danger to blindly investing in passive investments.

Commentary: Many workers prefer to access financial products, including insurance, in the workplace. This intersection of employer awareness and employee preference has created an opportunity for employee benefit advisers, says Prudential’s Lori Fouché.

Success on Wall Street and buyer demand has created ‘a crazy marketplace right now.’

The U.S. Congress adopted a budget that will allow Republicans to bypass Democrats and send a repeal or revision of President Barack Obama’s landmark 2010 health-care law to his desk.

Employers using Aon Hewitt’s multi-carrier fully-insured private health care exchange experienced average annual health care cost savings more than 4% lower than industry projections.

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.

Pregnancy and cancer were the most-often cited uses of DI in 2014, according to Unum, which had 380,000 new disability claims last year.

Discussion about the ACA has moved from understanding it to implementing it, but employers and their advisers continue to meet challenges in doing so.

A 9-million person market is a powerful one to tap. Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, which represents Blues plans across the country, is the latest to launch a retiree private HIX, coming this summer.

Employee engagement is the challenge of many wellness programs, but several companies have improved employee participation with gaming and, yes, zombies.

For employers, retention is now the main objective of providing benefits, according to MetLife’s annual employee benefit trends study, which found that employees want more choice and education about the coverage that’s offered.

Most private health care exchanges are geared toward active employees. But Tampa, Fla.-based Brown Insurance Group has an eye on part-timers who may have lost coverage or who never had access to group plans. Eric Brown, principal, explains how his private exchange allows employers nationwide to provide coverage to such employees through an exchange-like environment. Brown Insurance also assists with Healthcare.gov enrollment.

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

Democrats and Republicans support repealing the tax, which will affect a disproportionate number of Americans, and is likely to miss its revenue projections, experts say.