Employee benefits

Commentary: Top lessons from retail that brokers and consultants can leverage to engage employees in benefits selection and produce a positive experience with benefits shopping.

Republicans were trying to dismantle the ACA’s risk corridor premium stabilization program as recently as this week but several factors, possibly including the insurance industry itself, took them off course.

The Department of Health and Human Services has yet to release any data on the number of small businesses that have enrolled in the Affordable Care Act’s Small Business Health Options Program, angering lawmakers who have been prodding the agency for answers.

While the office is increasingly where many busy singles find true love, workplace romance can have major implications for employers. Some companies have even adopted "love contracts" to help employees avoid legal issues if the relationship turns sour.

Fewer people are getting their primary health insurance coverage through their employers, according to a Gallup Poll released Wednesday, which also reported the number of uninsured Americans has reached a five-year low.

Baby boomers and Generation X households improved their overall retirement income last year thanks to employer-sponsored 401(k)-type plans and gains from the financial and housing market, new data indicates.

Commentary: When it comes to qualified domestic relations orders, plan sponsors and their financial professional partners need to ensure they have a robust and detailed process that can actually work, says The Principal’s Aaron Friedman.

Are Americans accepting ways to cope with ever skyrocketing stress levels that can make them more productive to employers? New research finds that traditional pressures continue to rise and more needs to be done to relieve this strain.

The number of employers contributing to their employees’ HSA or HRA continues to grow, reaching a record high in 2013, according to a new Employee Benefit Research Institute report. However, the dollar amount of employer and employee contributions is slipping.

Commentary: Innovative technology is eliminating payroll deduction as the method of choice for collecting voluntary benefits premium, sounding the death knell for payroll deduction, says Nelson Griswold.

Accounting for barely 1% of enrollment in all employer-sponsored benefits plans, private exchanges are currently a dimly lit bulb on the radar for group health insurance delivery. But there’s little doubt that number will rise.

President Barack Obama said a delay until 2016 in his health care mandate for mid-sized employers is an adjustment that doesn’t undermine the law.

Employees fear the financial impact of a critical illness more than dying from one. Take advantage of the growing popularity of this voluntary benefit today.

After more private exchange launches last week, and one of the first by a carrier, EBA continues the conversation with brokers and insurance companies alike.

The Bright Choices Exchange is designed to offer ancillary benefits and access to mid-sized and large employers nationwide.

A majority of private company executives say that hiring is still at the top of their “to-do” lists for 2014 despite concerns over the skills available in the workforce, according to a study released by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

The adoption of tax-sheltered benefits accounts – including, Health Reimbursement Arrangements, Health Savings Accounts, and Flexible Spending Accounts – are predicted to reach nearly 90 million accounts by 2017.

This is the time of year when most companies with calendar year plans start reviewing their discrimination test to see if they passed or if they have to refund any contributions to the highly compensated employee group. Columnist John Ludwig shares best practices for keeping your clients in compliance.

Brokers from Arkansas to Florida to New York lament that the Affordable Care Act’s SHOP exchanges are undesirable targets to steer their clients to, leaving some independent agents who focused their businesses on individual public exchange enrollment in the lurch come March 31.

The Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA) has changed the way your clients manage their employees’ disability leaves. The Standard has found five mistakes employers may make when considering ADAAA accommodations.