The Labor Department's new regulations on 401(k) fee disclosures will serve as a wake-up call to plan sponsors and participants alike, once they stop hitting the snooze alarm, that is.

More than one-fourth of Americans rate the nation’s health care system “poor,” according to a new report by the Employee Benefit Research Institute.

Adviser representatives were encouraged by recognition of their role in employee benefits delivery as exclusion of commissions from medical loss ratio calculations moved forward last week. The Bill’s passage further shows that Congress what brokers do for a living, says the CEO of NAHU.

The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee Thursday passed a bill that would exclude compensation paid for licensed independent insurance producers from the premium portion of the medical loss ratio calculation.

Mercer, LIMRA, Symetra Life Insurance Company recognize employees in this week’s Comings & Goings.

U.S. budget experts raised their forecast on Wednesday of how many Americans will probably have to pay a penalty in 2016 for not buying health insurance to 6 million from 4 million.

Consumer-driven health plans have bypassed health maintenance organizations to become the second most common plan design offered by U.S. employers, according to an Aon Hewitt survey.

Thirty-nine percent of U.S. adults do not have life insurance, according to survey results released by InsuranceQuotes.com. And many of the 2,000 Americans surveyed who do have life insurance appear to be underinsured and not as knowledgeable as they should be about their policies.

I had the great opportunity to attend, and speak at, the recent Employee Benefit Adviser Summit in Phoenix. For those of you who may not be familiar with this event, you really are missing out on a great opportunity. Not only do they bring together the agency/brokerage/consulting side of the industry, there is also a conference track for HR professionals.

Participants in comprehensive workplace wellness programs achieve a significant reduction in health risks in as little as 18 months, according to a new study conducted by the Principal Financial Group, with the greatest impact among participants who also received personalized health coaching.

Mississippi insurance commissioner Mike Chaney is in a tight spot. By law, he is required to implement Democratic President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. But as a Republican from deeply conservative Mississippi — one of 26 states that sued Washington over Obama's Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act — Chaney is a target of critics who say he is betraying his party.

The American Institute of CPAs has sent a letter to members of the House Financial Services Committee supporting a bill aimed at narrowing the definition of “municipal advisor,” without weakening investor protections.

Americans are becoming more optimistic about the direction of the country, giving a boost to President Barack Obama in the final stretch of the race for the White House, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed on Wednesday.

It often seems to me that many brokers are on auto-pilot these days. The dynamic of many firms is to acquire a client, review their benefits, offer alternatives, collect their commission, and offer some predictable services. I don’t believe this cookie-cutter modus operandi will be a successful approach in our ever-changing world of unknowns. My company, Selden Beattie, has never conducted its business on auto-pilot and remains successful as a result. That’s the magic of…

It was a common theme at the 7th Annual Employee Benefit Adviser Summit in Phoenix this week that no matter who wins the presidential election in November, changes are forthcoming for benefit plans and administration. According to political activist and commentator Meghan McCain, should President Barack Obama keep his job, changes will be coming for the Republican Party as well.

Lockton, Silberstein Insurance Group and Milliman recognize employees in this week’s Comings & Goings. Check to see if a colleague is mentioned today.

When asked who plans to be doing the same job, in the same way, three years from now, not one broker raised a hand Tuesday during a session on growth and profitability at the 7th Annual Employee Benefit Adviser Summit.

The employee benefit and health care industry is going through a transformation. Brokers who don’t believe it, Rob Lieblein, partner and executive vice president at MarshBerry, are going to struggle down the road.

There are seismic shifts happening in the benefits industry today, creating tremendous opportunity that will not be seen again in this lifetime, said a speaker at the Employee Benefit Adviser Summit in Phoenix Monday.

Having spent my entire career in the insurance industry, I’m not sure how much of an understanding I can claim for other industries. However, it’s hard for me to imagine an industry where the purchasing decision has historically been tied to the “relationship” as much as it is in ours. …