Health and wellness

As many of you may have predicted – or secretly feared, or even hoped for – October has indeed been one incredibly wild ride for anyone connected in even an ancillary fashion to the ACA. Or those of you who happen to have anything to do with the daily operations of the federal government.

Staff at Walgreens stores will direct customers who ask about the exchanges to the GoHealth Marketplace, where they can shop and compare health insurance plans, enroll and find other tools and information.

Exchange prep, however, will go a long way to help employers prepare for the delayed employer mandate. Figure out whether you are an applicable large employer and if you are, start measuring. Otherwise, you could be left scrambling.

Eager to meet client needs — and keep their business — brokers hunt for information on individual exchanges, but are cautioned not to ignore the SHOP market. HR managers should be aware of the trend.

Eager to meet client needs — and keep their business — brokers hunt for information on individual exchanges, but are cautioned not to ignore the SHOP market.

On Facebook, brokers were quick to share their experiences of looking at and attempting to work with the exchanges.

At issue is the need for updated guidance on the employer mandate. While the mandate has been delayed until 2015, employers need to start preparing for it now.

Questions arise about phone enrollment on the East Coast, while the West Coast deals with a backlog that’s left brokers without necessary certification.

Technical difficulties leave advisers in the dark as they scramble to answer client questions on the launch of the ACA’s health insurance exchanges

Limit applies to nongrandfathered plans using separate vendors for medical, pharmacy benefits.

Industry insiders comment on the launch of the public health care exchanges.

Implementation of the Affordable Care Act and turning 50 are both inevitable so employers best prepare.

The strategies of insurers like UnitedHealth Group and WellPoint are under the microscope as data from four of the five largest U.S. states is collected by SNL Financial Group.

Broker specializing in the market predicts widespread adverse impact.

The U.S. government has shut down, but beyond continuing resolution budget debates, the next looming crisis is the federal debt ceiling. Are Affordable Care Act provisions more likely to be taken hostage there?

High visitor traffic and technical problems plague exchange launch day in many states, giving new ammunition to Republicans critical of the law, but showing “how important” the law is, president counters.

The ‘Obamacare’ insurance exchanges got off to a rocky start, with many websites meant to provide new access to the uninsured seeing delays or breakdowns.

What’s next for the ACA’s health insurance exchanges and how will employers respond?

Find out more on these ongoing legal spats over the Affordable Care Act and how employers are involved in the arguments.

Creating a smart consumer takes more than health care reform and adopting a consumer-driven health plan.