Employee benefits

Freestanding ERs are among the fastest-growing areas of medical care, but many say the facility fees charged by them aren’t justified and lack transparency. Hospitals contend the facilities drain away the privately insured, high-paying patients they need to survive.

Consumers and some health insurers, led by Aetna, Inc., say the facility fees charged by many of the new ERs aren’t justified and lack transparency.

The largest exchange-traded fund tracking the $3.7 trillion U.S. municipal-bond market is selling at a discount to its underlying assets for the longest stretch since 2011.

If you’re an adviser who works with business owners, you know that the “retirement plan season” is the end of the year. It’s that time when many business owners decide to set up a retirement plan before the year end deadline.

A brokers’ role with end of life products is to know their clients and give them choices.

The burden of saving and investing has shifted to the plan participant

Consolidating multi-vendor retirement plans, a how-to guide

EBA Financial Fitness Challenge helps remake retirement benefits for six Indiana school districts

Craig Davidson on three good reasons to think about selling voluntary.

New EBA retirement columnist John Ludwig on deferral rates for auto enrollment

NBC Universal’s medical director voices concern about the lack of education for high-deductible health plans, particularly as exchanges come online.

Representatives from private health insurance exchanges assert that exchanges are hitting the ground running and that they are well-equipped to help employers meet the diverse health needs of employees.

One study yields mixed results on telemedicine, finding that physician e-visits are cheaper but result in more prescriptions.

Random acts of kindness in the workplace make for a rousing and engaging culture at The Online 401(k).

Tips for using Twitter and other social media for business communication, including benefits information.

Random acts of workplace kindness boost employee satisfaction and engagement levels at The Online 401(k). Maybe everyone should RAWK out more.

Nonqualified deferred compensation plans are on the upswing.

The use of online calculators and retirement advisers has been linked to higher levels of retirement confidence.

On the second day of arguments over one of the country’s most polarizing issues, the court’s majority suggested the federal government overstepped its authority with the Defense of Marriage Act, which limits the benefits available to gay couples.

Eighty-three percent of 800 large and mid-size American employers — representing more than 7 million workers — now use some form of incentive to get employees more aware of their health status, Aon Hewitt polls show.