Employee benefits

The IRS said Tuesday it plans to close a major loophole in the ACA by banning employers who offer medical plans without hospitalization coverage from qualifying as minimum value plans under the health reform law.

With many employers moving to an online self-service model for benefits – and with the rapid changes in the health care industry – now more than ever, employees need an active guide to help them with their benefit selections and enrollment.

Engaging your Gen Y audience — also known as the millennials — can be difficult, but it’s key to implementing strategies on wellness and retirement programs that they might not be thinking about now, but will wish they had in the future.

A little-known special enrollment period under the Affordable Care Act allows for small employers to pick up group health care coverage regardless of whether they meet minimum participation or contribution requirements.

Aetna’s planned acquisition of private exchange operator bswift may signal the start of more insurers acquiring private exchanges, experts in the industry say.

A relatively small number of easily fixable problems can make a big difference in many 401(k) plans. Check out this list from EBN's retirement blogger Robert Lawton to see if your 401(k) plan can be improved.

Commentary: The average working American is part of a financially fragile workforce and many are reacting to higher health insurance contributions that could spell long-term trouble, says voluntary specialist Tinker Kelly.

Commentary: There is more to Aetna’s announcement that it will acquire exchange provider bswift than meets the eye, says health technology consultant Joe Markland. In fact, it’s another signal that brokers need to recognize the benefits world is changing around them, he says.

Aetna announced Monday that it has entered into an agreement to acquire private health insurance exchange operator bswift for $400 million.

U.S. parents are more and more finding themselves providing financial support to adult children, undermining their readiness to successfully put enough away for retirement.

A slew of recent class-action lawsuits on the part of retirement plan participants have made plan sponsors and benefits managers fearful of some serious financial implications for fiduciary breaches.

Amid today’s rapidly changing benefits landscape, employers are increasingly called to become more informed plan fiduciaries overseeing decisions about their plan’s qualified default investment alternatives. Three main components hold particular importance to help employers make reasonable QDIA decisions and fulfill ERISA obligations.

Commentary: The kind of intense research that goes into, say, a television purchase is missing from a major market—and retirement advisers should take notice of this opportunity.

The embattled California city has negotiated a deal to exit bankruptcy without neglecting its obligations to the state's public employee retirement system, avoiding a $1.6 billion termination fee.

Targeting the exploding health and wellness market, Microsoft in one fell swoop has launched a new cloud-based platform, mobile app, and wearable fitness tracking wrist band.

As more and more employers analyze their ever-growing pension obligations, Boeing and Hartford Financial Services Group are the latest companies to use the lump-sum payment tactic to limit their liabilities.

An onslaught of Dec. 1 renewal dates means premium rates remain steady for now, but advisers need to prepare for heavy 4th quarter workloads.

In a new series, EBA goes one-on-one with the heads of private exchanges. What makes one exchange different from the rest, and how do brokers fit in the mix? First up: Don Garlitz, bswift's executive director of exchange solutions.

For the third time in recent months, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has launched legal action against a private employer, claiming discrimination on the part of the company’s wellness program.

Commentary: Why group benefit brokers are behind the curve when it comes to voluntary benefit sales — and how to fix it.