Employee benefits

With rising healthcare costs hurting employers, adviser Mark Gaunya says it’s time for quality reform.

UnitedHealth Group Inc.’s OptumRx unit struck an agreement to ease customers’ access to drugs through Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc.’s drugstores, a move to help the business compete with rival pharmacy benefit managers.

The international environmental consulting team offers employees access to mental health therapy 24/7 through its online Learn to Live system.

Benefit plan sponsors continue to evaluate the best-use scenarios for PBEs, says exchange head James Harmon.

Ted Benna, who was instrumental in designing early 401(k) plans, comes out of retirement to help small and mid-sized employers determine whether they’re getting their money’s worth from plan charges.

From fiscal assessments to a campaign to help employees shed their personal debt, the firm's program is all-encompassing.

Advisers can make use of these best practices to lower the costs and increase the effectiveness of employer disability programs.

The savings option is growing in popularity as part of a prudent capital allocation strategy, says financial adviser John Ludwig.

Tiered incentives may encourage more workers to get active, but for employers they represent an increase in administrative overhead, says David Contorno, CEO of Lake Norman Benefits.

How advisers and employers can fine-tune communications to better educate workers about plans and perks.

How the concept of paying employees to encourage certain behaviors is making its way into other areas of benefits that advisers need to know about.

Employers and advisers continue to evaluate the best-use scenarios for PBEs, says exchange head James Harmon.

From the ACA to employee classification, advisers can help small employers with a number of pressing regulatory issues.

Why this savings option is growing in popularity as part of a prudent capital allocation strategy

Hospital market power, not technologies or regulation, is behind escalating prices, says benefits expert Joseph Jenkins, M.D.

A new FINRA report warns firms they should be ready for reviews on their use of digital investment advice tools.

Alicia H. Munnell, director of the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, shares her thoughts about why Congress should pass a law mandating auto-enrollment and auto-escalation in 401(k) plans.

The majority of employers expect the importance of non-traditional benefits to grow over the next three to five years, fueled in part by the changing demands of employees.

Companies that have yet to start preparing for the DOL’s proposed changes are already falling behind, said lawyer Tammy McCutchen during SHRM’s legislative conference in Washington, D.C.

How advisers and employers can fine-tune communications to better educate workers about plans and perks.