Healthcare benefits

Commentary: Adviser Jerry Kalish details a list of welfare benefits subject to ERISA that fall outside of health care reform.

ACA reporting becomes mandatory in 2016. Preparing employers to be compliant with reporting requirements is a core service that advisers should be offering, industry experts say.

Commentary: The rapidly evolving regulatory environment has increased benefit and tax complexities for most employees, making the open enrollment decisions more confusing and stressful than ever.

Commentary: We would all be better off if we stopped debating the merits of employee wellness and focus on what the intent of it should be – helping employees and their families achieve their optimal health.

Zenefits is back in the spotlight with news of slower than expected revenue growth. The company also this week announced it will offer a free payroll option. The announcement follows a months-long public dispute with payroll giant ADP.

Despite the continued escalation in specialty medication costs, many employers sponsoring self-funded health plans have not yet placed prescription drugs underneath the plan’s stop-loss insurance. Why is that?

As companies redesign their benefits around employee needs, the links between oral and overall health has employers incorporating dental benefits into wellness strategies.

NAIFA has launched a new initiative aimed at reinventing its role as an advocate for advisers. Its five-year strategic plan, dubbed NAIFA 20/20, aims to make the association a more effective resource for an increasingly diverse membership facing some challenging regulatory burdens.

Commentary: Most employers are in the dark about what they get in return for what they spend on health benefits. As a result, they tend to make decisions about benefits on the basis of costs alone, with little regard to value.

New business for validated employee benefit producers decreased over the past three years. Organic growth for independent brokers has also slowed. However, mergers are on a record-setting pace.

Commentary: The benefits community should pay close attention to this ERISA case and should be prepared to quickly adapt procedures according to the Supreme Court’s forthcoming ruling, which is expected by June 2016.

Employee education is critical to health care cost management, says United Benefit Advisors’ Les McPhearson, who addresses rising plan costs in the company’s annual health plan survey.

Flu season is just around the corner and you’ve probably set up free flu shots for everyone in the office. But are you also offering financial wellness programs to shore up your employees’ immunity against financial stress?

Commentary: When gas prices rise at the pump, consumers change their driving habits. They ride more strategically, putting off unnecessary outings and carefully planning out trips. Yet when health care prices rise and Americans must dig deeper into their own pockets, they put their own health at risk instead of becoming savvier consumers. …

Commentary: Without building a better plan, continued participation will wane and the program as a whole will fall short of employer health initiatives, says adviser Tim Olson, who shares five steps that will lead employer clients to an improved plan.

Developing strategies to help employees in the workplace with cancer is complex and multi-dimensional. A one-size-fits-all approach won’t work, because every employer must base strategies on the company’s culture, workforce demographics and specific cancer incidence.

The benefits industry is awaiting several rulings from the Supreme Court of the United States expected in 2016 that could have far-reaching effects on the administration and cost of operating employee benefit plans.

The Supreme Court heard arguments in Montanile v. Board of Trustees of the National Elevator Industry Health Benefit Plan and will determine if, under ERISA, a reimbursement to an employee benefit plan can be recovered if the beneficiary has already spent the funds he or she recovered from a third party.

The Supreme Court heard arguments in Montanile v. Board of Trustees of the National Elevator Industry Health Benefit Plan and will determine if, under ERISA, a reimbursement to an employee benefit plan can be recovered if the beneficiary has already spent the funds he or she recovered from a third party.

Commentary: The reality is that the CO-OPs could not overcome the most vital aspect of our insurance infrastructure: maintaining adequate reserves, says adviser David C. Smith.