Employee benefits

Key findings in a recent study by the Society of Actuaries can give us some much needed context.

The Atlanta-based banking organization has added new retirement income projection tools that it says enhances the ability of plan participants to make more informed decisions around retirement planning.

Five unnamed U.S. employers will offer benefits through Mercer’s private exchange, the Mercer Marketplace, starting in 2014, the company announced Monday.

Interaction with clients suffering in some cases.

Although the stock market has been in record territory and economic indicators have improved, there are defensive investments planners and retirement investors should keep an eye on.

Benefits broker and advisory firm Prescott Pailet sees the delay as an opportunity to give many of its clients room to breathe – especially those in the restaurant and hospitality industries, who would be most impacted by potential penalties.

Already topping $20 billion a year, UnitedHealthcare predicts its contract reimbursements to hospitals, physicians and ancillary care providers linked to accountable care will hit $50 billion by 2017.

Differences in regulatory approaches underscored in House bill.

UnitedHealth Group Inc. says it will more than double payments to physicians tied to quality and cost efficiency within five years, in the latest sign of transformation in the American medical system.

Walgreen Co., the biggest U.S. drugstore chain, agreed to join with the largest federation of health insurers to promote the Affordable Care Act, lending a hand as the Obama administration strains to win over the public.

The Affordable Care Act is seen as the regulatory issue with the most pull on the workplace in the next year, with 57% saying it will have a significant impact.

Money seen moving to passively managed investments.

This one is so bad it shouldn’t be allowed in any retirement plan, with only one exception.

Misuse of drugs like OxyContin is driving up the cost of insurance claims, and abuse of opioids is killing more people than cocaine and heroin combined.

Perhaps even more so than expanded coverage, the 2018 excise tax is driving plan change.

Industry insiders are beginning to find holes in the Affordable Care Act employer mandate delay announced last week by the Obama administration and U.S. Department of Treasury.

When you introduce the benchmarking dialog, you’re helping DC plan sponsors put a practical perspective on how their plans are doing today.

If plans aren’t drafted properly or if employees are improperly excluded, a qualification issue could result.

Sentiment offset by greater workloads, concerns over being replaced by lower-wage employees.

Auto-enrollment has been seen having great effect, but much more opportunity to help workers exists.