Employee benefits

Improving employee health while reducing employer health care costs are the dual objectives of supermarket chain Kroger, which has about 130,000 people — employees and dependents — enrolled in one of its three medical plans.

Combining wellness and HSAs is a long-term strategy. However, there can be some immediate benefit for the employer, which typically begins by going from a traditional fully insured plan to a high-deductible plan with a HSA, thereby saving the employer some money right out of the gate.

The U.S. government has awarded Accenture’s Federal Services unit a one-year contract, with an initial payment of $45 million, the Dublin-based company said in a statement Accenture will succeed Montreal-based CGI Group, which drew criticism for the website’s early stumbles.

CGI Group, the company that built the main Obamacare website, will be replaced next month when its contract with the U.S. federal government expires, a person familiar with the decision said.

Whether your business is self-insured or purchases a health plan, it’s time to bend the cost curve in your favor. Using a combination of robust data analytic tools and care management, population health management offers benefit managers a proactive approach to improve the health and well-being for members whose chronic conditions can account for 75% or more of your healthcare expenses.

Humana said it expects new Obamacare customers to be sicker and costlier than anticipated, after the U.S. government’s decision to let healthier people keep their existing plans.

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.