Employee benefits

If brokers and human resources departments worked together, it would bring “peace and harmony” to a difficult process, says Trisha Zulic, of Efficient Edge. But with two strong personalities often unwilling to listen to each other, it creates conflict, she says. Watch as Zulic explains why brokers need to reach out first and listen to their clients – and what that can lead to.

This week, EBN dove into the current trends and future of what benefit managers need to do their jobs. Many are budgeting a boost in spending to get the latest and greatest tools to increase engagement and streamline functionality. Here you can find a detailed recap, highlighting key findings from our tech week coverage.

Tailoring a voluntary benefits plan to better suit the very different needs of workers with entirely different generational goals and objectives can be challenging, but the payoff is better participation.

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

Depending on plan design, some employers may need to adopt year-end amendments to comply with recent federal changes that recognize same-sex marriages as a legal union for benefit purposes.

The Obama administration said it erroneously calculated the number of people with health coverage under the Affordable Care Act, incorrectly adding 380,000 dental subscribers to raise the total above 7 million.

A majority of employers – regardless of workforce size – are planning to keep their health plan coverage going into next year as the Affordable Care Act’s employer mandate takes effect.

Health insurance industry has lowest satisfaction rating in nearly a decade, report says.

Sound investment advice is hard to come by. Here are four ways to tell if you and your investment committee are getting good investment advice from your adviser.

Commentary: Private exchanges are not the one-size-fits-all solution some in the benefit industry think they are, says broker Judy Miller. The veteran adviser shares her opinion about the promises and pitfalls of the private exchange solution.

Benefit advisers are prepared to make significant investments in internal systems in 2015 to better manage their workload, improve existing relationships with employers and better market themselves to prospects.

Blue Cross Blue Shield is requiring all agents in the individual market in one state be certified to sell in the state’s federally facilitated marketplace — even those who only sell outside of the exchange.

Plan sponsors see a growing need to use technology in retirement plan communications, with the majority saying they will increase their use of technology to deliver information to employees over the next two to three years.

The 2014 midterm elections did more than just make paid sick leave benefits mandatory and increase minimum wage; ballot measures also approved recreational use of marijuana in various states and regions.

Millennials are not saving enough to take full advantage of their employer’s 401(k) company match, but benefit advisers say there are many tools employers can use to turn this trend around and engage the younger generation.

The HIX marketplace may offer Americans more choice when it comes to health insurance, particularly as public exchange options expand, but it continues to complicate life for HR professionals.

On the whole, benefits professionals do feel a high level of satisfaction with the majority of technology they use, but shortcomings in end-user experience remain a frustration.

A majority of brokers have seen some of their employer clients drop group coverage altogether in reaction to the ACA and double-digit rate increases. That trend, they say, will rise and advisers need to adjust the way they do business if they hope to survive.

Plan design plays a significant role in the success of a 401(k) plan, and there are opportunities for design to be catered to better suit employee needs and retirement objectives.

Commentary: Are private exchanges just a flex benefits reboot? Lockton’s Mike Smith shares what he thinks will affect their success and adoption.