Health and wellness

Obamacare and an aging U.S. population are spurring purchases of medical office buildings, with investors sending prices to a record on bets that Americans’ demand for health services will increase.

Why are employers still offering health care benefits and increasing worksite wellness activities? It’s not rocket science. Employers don’t offer benefits because they are altruistic. They do so primarily to recruit and retain talent and to ensure workers have the mental and physical capacity to perform their best on the job.

About 70% of Obamacare’s customers are 35 years of age or older, indicating that U.S. health care overhaul is initially attracting a less healthy population that may drive up insurance premiums.

The U.S. government has awarded Accenture’s Federal Services unit a one-year contract, with an initial payment of $45 million, the Dublin-based company said in a statement Accenture will succeed Montreal-based CGI Group, which drew criticism for the website’s early stumbles.

CGI Group, the company that built the main Obamacare website, will be replaced next month when its contract with the U.S. federal government expires, a person familiar with the decision said.

Whether your business is self-insured or purchases a health plan, it’s time to bend the cost curve in your favor. Using a combination of robust data analytic tools and care management, population health management offers benefit managers a proactive approach to improve the health and well-being for members whose chronic conditions can account for 75% or more of your healthcare expenses.

Humana said it expects new Obamacare customers to be sicker and costlier than anticipated, after the U.S. government’s decision to let healthier people keep their existing plans.

A report released Thursday shows positive interest in the ACA’s exchanges from this sought-after portion of the U.S. population.

Most uninsured people in the U.S. have yet to try to sign up for health coverage under Obamacare, and a key advocacy group said it will hire more workers to reach those unfamiliar with the law.

Two of the largest U.S. health insurers are giving Obamacare customers more time to pay their initial premiums as the industry tries to coax millions of people to take the final step in cementing coverage for 2014.

A new study conducted by human capital risk management firm HCMS Group suggests that employers who offer vision benefits to their employees might be able to save as much as $5.8 billion in cost savings over a four year period, partly due to the preventative screening opportunities afforded by low-cost eye check-ups.

Pre-tax season taxpayer confusion is higher than normal with the ACA in full swing.

Top Senate and House negotiators are near agreement to fund implementation of the Affordable Care Act, says Iowa Democrat Sen. Tom Harkin, chairman of the panel that sets spending for the Department of Health and Human Services.

John Seltzer, along with son Jason, establishes the groundwork for an enduring business with a focus on consultative sales.

In response to consumer confusion about deadlines related to the Affordable Care Act, insurer says it will extend the deadline and accept payment online.

Despite increased traffic to health exchange websites, more than half (59%) of uninsured Americans say their experience with them was negative, compared to just 39% who report a positive experience, according to Gallup.

With all the implications that the Affordable Care Act has on employer’s health insurance obligations, it’s easy to overlook its effects on workplace wellness programs. Yet these programs are very much affected by Obamacare.

The strength of a business relies on its bottom line, and it takes a productive and engaged workforce to help meet those financial goals, particularly for a client-focused organization, such as EPIC, an employee benefits brokerage firm in Petaluma, Calif. With this in mind, EPIC has implemented a wellness program to improve its employees’ health and has watched it grow and positively influence employees’ lives.

Part of President Barack Obama’s health-care law is on hold in a Colorado case until at least tomorrow, as the U.S. Supreme Court considers contentions from religious groups that say they don’t want to facilitate coverage for contraception.

About 2.1 million people have medical coverage as of yesterday through Obamacare after a late surge in enrollment helped regain ground lost to the botched debut of insurance exchanges created by the U.S. health-care overhaul.