Health and wellness

Insurers are projecting significant jumps in pharmacy expenses this year, driven primarily by specialty drugs.

Despite the regulatory uncertainty about how the Affordable Care Act’s excise tax will apply to employer-sponsored care offered through onsite clinics, employers appear committed to the concept.

The IRS says employers can now do a trial run of their electronic form filing for reporting requirements under the ACA, giving nervous employers and their benefit advisers a way to test for readiness in advance of the reporting deadlines.

About 9.9 million people got health insurance coverage through the marketplaces set up by the ACA as of June 30, a decline from earlier in the year though still higher than the White House administration’s target.

Commentary: A broker whose perception of wellness is limited to seasonal flu shots and employee assistance policies is at a competitive disadvantage compared to a broker who understands the power of connecting health risk assessment and biometric data with claims data.

Transgender individuals would gain new health care protections in rules proposed Thursday by U.S. regulators.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services awards $7 million more than last year to grantees in 34 states.

With the increase to the individual mandate penalty slated for 2016, will more people seek coverage through their employers or the public exchanges?

After a surge in consumer interest in wearable technology, which reached its peak in January, demand has been slowing for wearables over the past six months of 2015.

Commentary: Just because vendors are promising you will avoid penalties because you were able to provide a “good faith” effort, doesn’t mean you actually will be penalty-free.

Generation Y employees want more customization and education about their benefits — and employers need to provide a broad range of offerings while taking a holistic view to contain rising health care costs.

The number of employers who could be subject to the ACA’s Cadillac tax is predicted to rise if employers remain stagnant on health care plan changes, underscoring a need to make plan adjustments sooner rather than later.

Commentary: If you want to guarantee that a wellness program doesn’t make any headway in delivering positive results, be sure to commit these five common worksite wellness offenses.

Many employers are now recognizing the need to offer a more holistic approach to wellness and helping employees manage stress cause by personal financial issues.

Brokers say they increasingly view the ACA as an avenue toward new revenue opportunities and roles around education and communication.

Those calling for repeal of the Affordable Care Act are split on what to do should the law be repealed.

Advisers need to help clients understand their workforce, outline clear objectives and communicate effectively if employers want to establish a successful wellness program.

Commentary: Good faith effort, transition relief, 30-day extension and other safety nets for 6055 and 6066 tax filing.

Separating fact from fiction when it comes to the Affordable Care Act is no easy task. Here are 13 common misconceptions about the law.

Republican presidential candidate Scott Walker stitched together a series of popular conservative health care ideas in his newly unveiled ACA replacement plan Tuesday.