Employee benefits

Colorado’s state government – itself one of the biggest employers in the Centennial State – has achieved milestones in Gov. John Hickenlooper’s goal to make Colorado the healthiest state in America. Already more than 10,000 state employees (30% of the qualified population) have begun participating in a range of health activities since the launch of a health incentive program in July 2013.

Most uninsured people in the U.S. have yet to try to sign up for health coverage under Obamacare, and a key advocacy group said it will hire more workers to reach those unfamiliar with the law.

The committee released its findings ahead of a Friday House vote on Republican-sponsored H.R. 3811, the Health Exchange Security and Transparency Act, which would require that the Department of Health and Human Services notify individuals within two days of a known security breach of the Healthcare.gov website.

An overwhelming majority of Hispanic and African-Americans say that financial services firms need to hire more diverse staff, according to a survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Edward Jones.

Despite the best intentions of retirement plan sponsors, 24% of Americans report that they have borrowed against or took early distribution from their retirement plans in the past three years, according to recent data from Purchasing Power.

Two of the largest U.S. health insurers are giving Obamacare customers more time to pay their initial premiums as the industry tries to coax millions of people to take the final step in cementing coverage for 2014.

Before they leave the work force, boomers should plan for their post-retirement health care coverage along with other costs, according to Allsup, a nationwide provider of Medicare plan selection services.

Six things plan sponsors should expect from their retirement advisers in 2014 annual review season.

Beneficiary designations could be truly problematic with ERISA 403(b) plans when there are multiple service providers involved. Here's what advisers need to do.

The U.S. recession remained a drag on health care spending three years after it ended as a net of 9.4 million people lost private insurance coverage before key provisions of Obamacare had begun, a government report showed.

Keeping employees satisfied is ‘about to get significantly more difficult’ for your employer clients. Here’s how to make it easier for them.

Rising interest rates and a strong stock market contributed to a strong year for defined benefit plans, according to recent research from Towers Watson, with pension plan funding levels rising by 16% last year, the highest level since 2007.

Part of President Barack Obama’s health-care law is on hold in a Colorado case until at least tomorrow, as the U.S. Supreme Court considers contentions from religious groups that say they don’t want to facilitate coverage for contraception.

About 2.1 million people have medical coverage as of yesterday through Obamacare after a late surge in enrollment helped regain ground lost to the botched debut of insurance exchanges created by the U.S. health-care overhaul.

The court agreed with the plaintiff’s contention that while a church-affiliated entity may “maintain” an ERISA-exempt church plan, only plans established directly by a church or convention of churches qualify as church plans.

From emergency rooms to pharmacies to company human-resources departments, changes will unfold within the U.S. health-care system on Jan. 1 as the nation guarantees insurance coverage to all Americans for the first time, a goal that has eluded presidents and lawmakers since the end of World War Two.

Finding a new job is a top priority for many workers with 83% of Americans saying they plan on switching careers in 2014. Considering the upswing, Allison & Taylor, an employment verification firm, offers 10 employment trends that potential job candidates should consider while searching – ideas that reflect many of the changes and the new normal in the HR world.

Right now is a good opportunity to look at the good, the bad and the ugly of the benefits world in 2013, and to see what we might be able to look forward to in the coming year.

The deadline to enroll in health plans that begin Jan. 1 was extended to midnight today from yesterday for most of the U.S., the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said. The extension was announced as healthcare.gov yesterday experienced a single-day record number of visits and consumers were moved into a queuing system deployed when the website approaches 50,000 simultaneous users.

As 2013 comes to a close, we’re taking a look at some of the most popular stories on our website this year. Here are the top five blog items of 2013.