Healthcare benefits

A potential plan to pool the health care purchasing power of Detroit’s Big Three automakers in the form of a CO-OP or similar entity sounds intriguing to industry insiders, but they also caution that it wouldn’t be an easy road.

Sun Life Financial’s acquisition of the employee benefits unit of Assurant is just the latest move in the insurer’s growth strategy for the U.S. market.

The recently announced mergers of four of the nation’s largest health insurance companies threatens to decrease competition in multiple markets, a threat the American Medical Association says will exceed federal antitrust guidelines and warrants regulatory review. Experts agree brokers will need to work with employer clients to find creative solutions to work with limited plan choices and keep premium costs down.

Insurers are projecting significant jumps in pharmacy expenses this year, driven primarily by specialty drugs.

Despite the regulatory uncertainty about how the Affordable Care Act’s excise tax will apply to employer-sponsored care offered through onsite clinics, employers appear committed to the concept.

About 9.9 million people got health insurance coverage through the marketplaces set up by the ACA as of June 30, a decline from earlier in the year though still higher than the White House administration’s target.

This year’s co-located Benefits Forum Expo and Workplace Benefits Summit in Orlando, Fla., Sept. 30-Oct. 2, aims to lend a helping hand to employers and brokers working in this challenging benefits environment.

Commentary: A broker whose perception of wellness is limited to seasonal flu shots and employee assistance policies is at a competitive disadvantage compared to a broker who understands the power of connecting health risk assessment and biometric data with claims data.

Commentary: Many brokers underestimate the impact a comprehensive disability management philosophy can have on the total cost of an employee benefits program.

Ford Motor Co. executive chairman Bill Ford said the company is considering a health-care co-op, an issue the United Auto Workers union has raised in negotiations on a new contract.

Commentary: There are rampant and seemingly uncontrollable costs of sustaining life in a system which lacks any semblance of common sense.

Greg Giangrande, executive vice president, chief human resources officer for Time Inc., is the recipient of EBN’s 2015 Benefits Leadership in Health Care Award.

With the increase to the individual mandate penalty slated for 2016, will more people seek coverage through their employers or the public exchanges?

Commentary: There is a new normal when it comes to underwriting offers in the employer-sponsored or group LTCI marketplace.

As the health care landscape continues to evolve, the expanding menu of options has made navigating benefits a tricky endeavor for employees and employers alike. But one new partnership aims to help curb the confusion.

This year’s winners put special emphasis on health care cost transparency, financial wellness, private exchange adoption and face-to-face communications.

Generation Y employees want more customization and education about their benefits — and employers need to provide a broad range of offerings while taking a holistic view to contain rising health care costs.

Health and wellness startup HealthiestYou promotes productivity in the workplace and enables parents to conveniently meet with doctors, according to brokers who have firsthand experience.

The number of employers who could be subject to the ACA’s Cadillac tax is predicted to rise if employers remain stagnant on health care plan changes, underscoring a need to make plan adjustments sooner rather than later.

Commentary: If you want to guarantee that a wellness program doesn’t make any headway in delivering positive results, be sure to commit these five common worksite wellness offenses.