Employee benefits

Commentary: A well-executed and outcomes-based HRA keeps a wellness program running smoothly and effectively because all other elements depend upon its accurate assessment and ongoing data.

If an employer says they don’t have concerns about the Affordable Care Act’s looming excise tax set to go into effect in 2018, they’re probably fibbing.

Martha G. King, managing director of Vanguard’s institutional group, addresses the evolution of retirement plan education and the challenges of guaranteed annuity products within 401(k) plans.

The ruling is not likely to affect demand for individual fixed indemnity products, which have been on the decline, nor to have impact on overall health insurance market, experts say.

Zenefits announced today it is offering small and mid-sized employers an ACA compliance tool for free. Some industry experts say the offering raises the bar again for competing benefit brokers, but others claim it is too little, too late.

SMILE Community Action Agency has made a concerted effort in the past year and a half to offer a more in-depth benefits package to employees so that it can become an employer of choice.

Commentary: Although in their infancy, private exchanges have not yet met predicted adoption rates. Wells Fargo’s Dan Gowen shares why this may be the case.

Commentary: The employer community has made its voice clear on the Affordable Care Act’s excise tax. Legislators seem to have heard. Will it make a difference?

Commentary: The “teachable moment” remains one of the most important potential benefits of a health assessment. Well-designed assessment tools provide a catalyst for lifestyle change by creating receptivity to health-related information and recommendations.

Robo retirement firms entering the small-plan 401(k) market won’t replace human advisers, industry leaders say.

Fitness device maker Fitbit now will enter into HIPAA business associate agreements with corporations, health plans and self-insured employers that want to offer its wellness platform to employees.

Waiting to “see what happens” with your workplace culture is a recipe for disaster.

Commentary: Is it possible to look at the tea leaves and forecast possible disruptions to the way health care benefits are delivered to employees over the next five to 10 years?

Actively managed funds still represent the largest chunk of most 401(k) investment lineups, but passively managed investments have risen in recent years because of fee disclosure regulations, target-date funds and the notion that managed accounts have been unable to beat the returns of index funds.

Workers value personalized benefits information yet few employers have implemented a tailored communications approach.

Commentary: Data breaches, cost transparency and telehealth rank among the Health Research Institute’s top trends plan sponsors need to pay attention to.

The public employees responsible for overseeing $600 million in contracts to build Healthcare.gov were inadequately trained, kept sloppy records, and failed to identify delays and problems that contributed to millions in cost overruns, a new government report finds.

Is the U.S. health care system overrated and overpriced?

Commentary: Our focus on each item that comes along in the employee-employer relationship blinds us to the bigger picture issues.

Commentary: Many plan sponsors believe that just by hiring an adviser they do not have a fiduciary obligation to understand the investments in their plans. This is fundamentally wrong.