Healthcare benefits

Pregnancy and cancer were the most-often cited uses of DI in 2014, according to Unum, which had 380,000 new disability claims last year.

Discussion about the ACA has moved from understanding it to implementing it, but employers and their advisers continue to meet challenges in doing so.

Forty percent of Americans aren’t receiving regular dental care – and it’s costing employers.

A 9-million person market is a powerful one to tap. Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, which represents Blues plans across the country, is the latest to launch a retiree private HIX, coming this summer.

Employee engagement is the challenge of many wellness programs, but several companies have improved employee participation with gaming and, yes, zombies.

Commentary: Benefits professionals may understand concepts like self-insurance and network discounts, but how effectively are they communicating them to health plan participants?

For employers, retention is now the main objective of providing benefits, according to MetLife’s annual employee benefit trends study, which found that employees want more choice and education about the coverage that’s offered.

As technology and health care become more intertwined, a visit to the doctor can be as easy as a touch of an app. UnitedHealthcare Thursday announced an expansion of telehealth coverage options for virtual physician visits.

Prescription drug prices continue to rise in 2015, compelling employers and their advisers to take action through innovative plan designs.

Generic pharmaceuticals have maintained their “laggard” status compared to branded and specialty drugs with respect to rising prices.

Democrats and Republicans support repealing the tax, which will affect a disproportionate number of Americans, and is likely to miss its revenue projections, experts say.

Assurant Health announced this week it will be sold or shut down by the end of 2016, a move the parent company attributes to million-dollar losses as a result of the ACA.

The parent company of Assurant Health said Tuesday it will sell or shut down the Milwaukee health insurer by the end of next year.

Wellness programs have been at the forefront of employers’ minds, and in light of the recent Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s aim to tackle the questions lingering on what plan sponsors can or cannot do, employees are voicing a disconnect in wellness program engagement.

The Affordable Care Act brings new administrative complexity to employers offering health plans, making real-time reporting even more critical.

Commentary: Why hasn’t client adoption of enrollment technology met expectations with mid-sized employers during the last two decades? Recently, overall adoption has grown at a much faster pace than we have seen in a long time.

Commentary: There may be an opportunity to partner with professional employer organizations, says EBA advisory board member Andy Torelli.

Commentary: Working with a managing general underwriter can be one of a broker's most beneficial relationships, helping to build a book while addressing clients’ major insurance issues. Selecting the right MGU partner is critical.

Calling all health care entrepreneurs. The National Business Group on Heath wants to take a look at start-ups with “innovative solutions to improve health, or enhance the efficiency, delivery or consumer experience within the health care system.

Of the five types of sales profiles, one sticks out as significantly more successful than the rest, but in order to emulate that success, advisers must change their habits.