Health and wellness

“We may be jumping the gun,” says one expert. “While there is cognitive decline with normal aging, if we pull out people with brain disease, there’s not enough of a decline for us to worry about older peoples’ ability to make financial decisions.”

Wanting to leverage the new fitness facility to better help employees manage their work balance, Brocade launched a WellFit council made up of a cross-functional group of about 10 people.

Forty-one percent of those surveyed said they have held off on hiring new employees as a result of the ACA. “One of the most concerning unintended consequences of the Affordable Care Act is that we see employers looking to stay under the 50-employee threshold, if at all possible,” says one expert.

Being present and competent is the order of the day once the ACA becomes a reality, says blogger and UBA CEO Thom Mangan. Brokers need to act as a conduit, or contract with a conduit, to help employees navigate through. A lot of these issues fall on the shoulders of the human resources department, but a broker or adviser needs to offer comprehensive care.

Merck & Co., Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and Roche Holding AG have opened a new front against cancer with the next generation of experimental drugs that use the human immune system to seek and destroy tumor cells.

President Barack Obama’s health secretary has called companies and other organizations, seeking financial contributions to help promote the 2010 health care law that takes full effect next year.

A test from Genomic Health Inc. helps predict whether prostate cancer is aggressive or slow- growing and is available now.

U.S. hospitals charge prices that, at times, can be thousands of dollars different for the same medical procedures, even within towns or states, according to federal data released today.

People with health insurance saw increases in their medical costs slow from 2009 to 2011, signaling potential structural changes in the industry that could cut health care inflation and save the U.S. hundreds of billions of dollars, according to two studies.

Guest blogger Heath Shackelford suggests employers’ focus on measuring the return on investment for wellness programs is distracting from the real effects these programs can have.

The suit, filed last week in federal court in Washington, revolves around an Internal Revenue Service rule that provides tax credits for people shopping for health insurance on new government-run marketplaces, called exchanges, regardless of where they live.

An analysis of the most common uterine cancer suggests the disease should be reclassified into four categories that may help lead to more targeted treatments.

Countless pieces of legislation are introduced in Washington each year and nothing is done with them. As NAHU pushes for a hearing on the MLR bill in the Senate, what are its chances?

At the 10th World Health Care Congress held just outside Washington, D.C., in April, Mark Fogel, head of HR for New York-based accounting firm Marcum Group, said his organization is still "grappling" with what to do about the Affordable Care Act and the new world for employers.

In the hunt for return on investment, employers are taking a closer look at financial disincentives in wellness.

Jack Kwicien on how advisers must commit to a plan to adapt to coming change with insurance reform

In the new world of "Obamacare," a.k.a. the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the birth of the insurance exchange is propelling us all the way back to the future.

Employers, experts pay closer attention to getting the best return on investment for expenditures on wellness incentives.

A two-year study from UnitedHealthcare shows its disease management program for diabetes can help people with the condition manage it more effectively, while also reducing related costs for employers.

2013 marks a true test of leadership for benefits professionals, particularly for employee communications.