Health and wellness

The Senate has begun debate on a controversial effort to redefine a full-time employee under the Affordable Care Act from one who works 30 hours per week to one who works 40 hours per week — a move that could release many employers from having to offer health care coverage to their employees.

The tool, designed to help covered employees find doctors, understand health care finance, and meet health goals. is being piloted JPMorgan Chase and will expand to a select number of U.S. employers in 2015.

As the Affordable Care Act’s Cadillac tax looms, a majority of organizations in the U.S. are looking ahead to ways they can cut down on the costs of providing health care.

Employers are concerned multiemployer plans won’t count toward providing employees with health coverage, and may subject them to penalties. Here’s what they can do.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a technology policy advocacy group, says it has confirmed that the federal government's Healthcare.gov is sharing personal data, including ZIP code, income level, smoking status, pregnancy status, and more, with at least 14 third parties.

Researchers are starting to monitor physical activity through FitBit trackers to better predict recovery times following spinal surgeries.

North American employers may take some – but not much – comfort in the knowledge that medical trend rates are a lot worse in other parts of the world.

Several of the proposals outlined in the President’s State of the Union address may change how employers plan their strategies on wages, sick leave and child care, as well as how employees prepare for retirement.

The Department of Homeland Security has issued a warning that cybercriminals are using phishing e-mails that appear to come from Healthcare.gov ahead of the upcoming final deadline to apply for coverage under the Affordable Care Act.

In State of the Union, the president says he won’t ‘refight past battles’ on the ACA

Altering the health care law is one priority for Sen. Hatch this year, the committee chairman said in a speech outlining his 2015 agenda.

Regulatory changes continue to challenge health and life insurance carriers to meet new market demands and stay competitive. Benefit advisers also looking to remain relevant should watch closely carrier reaction to these key issues in 2015.

Potential fixes to Affordable Care Act exchange enrollment and tweaks to the law itself are recommended by industry insiders at Washington panel.

The Department of Health and Human Services announced Friday that Andrew Slavitt, the second-ranking official at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, will take over the role of administrator of CMS in an acting capacity following the resignation of Marilyn Tavenner.

Commentary: Research shows that three quarters of health care costs are related to the lifestyle choices of human beings. Adviser Joseph Appelbaum shares his D.C. firm’s cost-cutting success story.

Marilyn Tavenner, head of the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services — the agency largely behind the rollout of the Affordable Care Act —plans to step down at the end of February, she told her staff in an email Friday.

Mid-sized and larger organizations are still struggling with at least three key ACA compliance requirements: exchange notice management, annual health care reporting and penalty management.

Stay current with this checklist of 2015 contribution limits for retirement and health care benefit plans.

Advisers share why they entered the private exchange business and key players detail how to help employer clients chose the right exchange.

More than a year after technical glitches on Healthcare.gov emboldened Affordable Care Act critics and fueled late-night talk show jokes, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has since forged partnerships with four digital platforms to help promote the current open-enrollment period.