Healthcare benefits

Carving out FSAs, HSAs and HRAs from the Affordable Care Act’s excise tax would be a good compromise, enabling Americans to set aside money for health care while still allowing employers to control costs.

Whether a simple health risk assessment or a complex incentive plan, employee wellness programs have become a fixture of the modern workplace.

Employees who don’t factor health care costs into their retirement planning could be in for a rude awakening.

With millions of Americans purchasing health coverage on their own, and a growing number of people enrolling in consumer-directed health plans, the employer’s role in helping workers understand the health care system is more important than ever.

With nearly two dozen CO-OPs created under the Affordable Care Act continuing their financial struggles, attention is turning toward why they’re experiencing such difficulties.

Offering minimum essential coverage plans not only helps employers stay compliant with the ACA, it can also provide solid compensation for brokers and can lead to gap coverage sales.

Flexible spending accounts have long been a favorite tool among working Americans to help budget for out-of-pocket costs but they could be an unintended casualty of health care reform.

Advisers hoping to remain relevant in a changing health care and benefits landscape must shift product offerings to meet industry trends. Rick Lindquist, president of Zane Benefits, discusses 6 key industry trends to watch.

The tire and wheel retailer implements a telehealth option for employees, providing online access to care for minor ailments.

Everything from filling prescriptions to asking primary care questions can be done via online or over the phone, which can reduce medical claims, but only if employees are engaged in their plan.

Employers more than ever are seeking innovative solutions for health care cost containment from their benefit advisers, and one industry expert says emerging strategies to help brokers thrive in the coming decade should include voluntary benefit sales and plan integration.

High-profile merger and acquisition activity in the health insurance market has some employers squeamish about decreased competition and carrier responsiveness, but some industry experts say employers have methods for recourse.

Devices and applications are impacting health care, but it’s crucial not to overlook the human aspect of technology, says Healthways’ Chris Dancy.

Communicating health care and other benefits to employees is no simple task, but it is increasingly vital for companies to do it and to do it well.

Benefits professionals have been on a never-ending regulatory road trip since the Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010 and employers everywhere are asking “are we there yet?”

Increased regulatory requirements and rising health care costs have spurred more employers to consider defined contribution health care plans, a trend industry experts at EBA’s Workplace Benefits Summit say is a result of a more transformative approach to health care benefit strategy.

Enrollment season is upon us, making it prime time for benefits carriers to unveil new and different ways to engage employees and help them make their benefits decisions.

Adviser help is sorely needed to lessen employer/employee disconnect during open enrollment. Recent research from Aflac shows tools and resources that employees find useful are not always made available by their employers, further complicating an already confusing process.

The House has agreed to pass legislation that makes possible a repeal of the ACA’s controversial expansion of the definition of a small employer — a bill hailed by the benefits industry for protecting the small and mid-size businesses they feel the expansion threatens to harm.

Offering a supplemental plan for retired military employees can save employers from potential claims — and it also helps brokers add value to their clients and increase their book of business.