Healthcare plans

MassMutual develops an integrated benefits exchange combining retirement savings, healthcare and virtually all other kinds of benefits in a unified, cloud-based system.

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.

Brokers have been largely an afterthought on the public health care exchanges, industry insiders say, and one company says it is trying to change that at no cost to the broker.

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.

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.

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.

The ongoing escalation of complex regulations for health insurance plans has made it extremely difficult for just about every employer to comply. More than five years after passage of the Affordable Care Act, the compliance requirements not only continue to add up, but also to shift around.

Even when price, quality and relevant health information is available to employees, they must be prompted to get engaged with the information, which requires some heavy lifting by employers.

The Supreme Court of the United States Friday agreed to hear another challenge to the ACA's birth control mandate. It’s the fourth time the Affordable Care Act will be considered by the Supreme Court and follows the controversial ruling in last year’s closely watched Hobby Lobby case.

Anywhere from 4% to 8% of dependents enrolled in group employee health insurance are not eligible to be in the plan. How it happens and what you can do about it.

Employers using health apps as part of their wellness programs may want to pay attention to what is being called the most in-depth analysis to date of health-related app use in the United States.

Commentary: Employers can reduce turmoil by taking a phased approach to Cadillac tax avoidance.

Commentary: It may ultimately be a greater risk to remain fully insured and continue treating annual health care spend as an expense rather than an investment.

To date, adoption of private benefit exchanges by employers has been modest, but Holley Maher, partner at St. Louis-area brokerage MRCT, sees them as a highly relevant solution. And, despite issues Healthcare.gov has caused for brokers and consumers alike, the site is changing the health care landscape, says Maher, whose company operates its Smart Benefits Marketplace using bswift technology.