Healthcare costs

Advisers should prepare to work with companies who say they are considering major plan shifts this year to stay ACA compliant while still attracting and retaining talent.

Delivery system reform and improved population health are two areas of the Affordable Care Act that haven’t received as much attention from employers as the Cadillac tax, said Kathleen Sebelius, former U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services this week at an NBGH conference.

Advisers should focus on working with employers to utilize smart benefits technology to create individualized programs that appeal to every worker.

Employers are planning on making big changes to their benefits plans this year as they look to stay ACA compliant while still attracting and retaining talent.

Investing in community health leads to better workforce health, says Healthy Workplace Healthy Communities, a group launched to provide employers resources and tools to engage local leaders.

Quizzify makes learning about medical care fun and interesting, delivering information to employees in a fun, game-show contest format.

With medical inflation out pacing general inflation 7 to 1, advisers need to help their clients design benefit plans based on the actual health status of their employees.

The usage of telemedicine is growing, with almost two thirds of organizations offering or planning to offer such a service by 2018.

Excessive and expensive treatment is at the core of the healthcare cost crisis, says Brian Klepper.

The levy on high-cost plans is on the horizon and advisers need to prepare for it, says Davin Millholland.

How have employer-sponsored benefits changed since the last leap year? Long-term trends can give organizations a better understanding of whether they’re ahead (or behind) the benefits curve, says Compdata.

While just over half of companies with more than 1,000 employees offer at least one high deductible health plan, few have fully replaced traditional plans with the HDHP.

Other countries and some innovative firms here consistently deliver equal or better quality care at dramatically lower cost, betraying the idea that conventional U.S. healthcare is superior or even appropriate.

As costs continue to grow, employers should focus on utilizing smart benefits technology to create individualized programs that appeal to every employee.

Despite being delayed until 2020, the Affordable Care Act’s so-called Cadillac tax on high-cost plans is still on the horizon and employers need to prepare for it.

The implementation of smoking surcharges should be paired with a robust smoking cessation program, experts say.

How advisers can assist their clients with the implementation of the required preventative service.

To meet legal requirements and realize savings in healthcare premiums, the implementation of smoking surcharges should be paired with a robust smoking cessation program, experts say.

An initial consultation with a registered dietitian can cost as much as $200. Multiply this by the growing number of overweight and at-risk Americans, and employers could face a considerable cost increase.

Telemedicine offers potential savings to employers and employees, while improving medical care access and convenience.