Health and wellness

The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 will repeal the Affordable Care Act’s provision requiring employers with more than 200 employees to automatically enroll full-time workers in a health plan if coverage isn't voluntarily chosen or declined by the employee.

Commentary: Employers who move most effectively to address stress and improve their employees' resiliency will find themselves at a competitive advantage in employee recruitment, retention and market performance.

Premiums for the second-lowest-cost silver plans are going up by an average of 7.5% next year in the 37 states that use a U.S.-run website, HHS says.

Effective behavior change programs are likely to be based on theory and evidence and built on years of scientific research – not on employer demands, personal preferences or bells-and-whistles technology.

The ACA’s 2018 Cadillac tax looms large in the minds of employers and benefit experts have already begun to see trends in the plan design options and benefit offering changes employers have made to avoid the hefty excise tax.

Brokers and agents are meeting with senators in an effort to garner support for the Equalizing the Playing Field for Agents and Brokers Act, which aims to offer advisers the same access to marketplace enrollment information as is available to navigators and certified assisters.

Commentary: The instructions clarify a couple of key areas that will simplify how employers file under IRS 6055 and 6056.

Many employers continue to have questions about complicated Affordable Care Act reporting requirements. Earlier this week, SourceMedia's Accounting Today hosted a Web seminar on Understanding Affordable Care Act Reporting which sought to clear some of the confusion about ACA reporting.

Tennessee CO-OP becomes latest to shut down, with more expected to announce closure before the next public exchange enrollment period begins in the next two weeks.

The Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act would provide up to 12 weeks of paid leave each year to qualifying workers for the birth or adoption of a child, the serious illness of an immediate family member or a worker’s own medical condition.

The outline of the Republican's plan contains some similarities with the Affordable Care Act.

Drafting a strategic plan is the first step to combat soaring health care expenses impacting employees and employers, many of whom are turning to wellness programs and private exchanges to control costs.

Although President Obama signed the Protecting Affordable Coverage for Employees Act this week, many employers the legislation is intended to protect remain in limbo.

Carving out FSAs, HSAs and HRAs from the Affordable Care Act’s excise tax would be a good compromise, enabling Americans to set aside money for health care while still allowing employers to control costs.

Whether a simple health risk assessment or a complex incentive plan, employee wellness programs have become a fixture of the modern workplace.

Offering minimum essential coverage plans not only helps employers stay compliant with the ACA, it can also provide solid compensation for brokers and can lead to gap coverage sales.

Flexible spending accounts have long been a favorite tool among working Americans to help budget for out-of-pocket costs but they could be an unintended casualty of health care reform.

Advisers hoping to remain relevant in a changing health care and benefits landscape must shift product offerings to meet industry trends. Rick Lindquist, president of Zane Benefits, discusses 6 key industry trends to watch.

Benefits professionals have been on a never-ending regulatory road trip since the Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010 and employers everywhere are asking “are we there yet?”

Increased regulatory requirements and rising health care costs have spurred more employers to consider defined contribution health care plans, a trend industry experts at EBA’s Workplace Benefits Summit say is a result of a more transformative approach to health care benefit strategy.