Healthcare 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.

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.

As employers face growing challenges trying to balance employees’ well-being with containing benefits-related company costs, many are seeking guidance on how to manage the administrative and compliance requirements of the Affordable Care Act.

The U.S. is “drowning” in over-diagnosis and over-treatment and workplace wellness programs are partly to blame, said a wellness industry expert during a debate at the Population Health Alliance conference in Washington, D.C.

The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 will repeal the Affordable Care Act’s provision requiring employers with more than 200 employees to automatically enroll full-time workers in a health plan if coverage isn't voluntarily chosen or declined by the employee.

Insurers believe value-added services such as tools and advocacy programs, in addition to being an incumbent carrier, make a consumer choose them. But, a new analysis reveals what really drives choice.

Premiums for the second-lowest-cost silver plans are going up by an average of 7.5% next year in the 37 states that use a U.S.-run website, HHS says.

Employers can play an influential role in shaping their benefit design so that it encourages employees to look at high-value providers and use tools that help make the health care decision-making process more transparent.

As we head into the heart of renewal season, that old fear of receiving a surprise from your broker or carrier is likely sneaking into the back of your mind. There’s a better way: Performing a checkup on your benefits plan to make sure it’s as healthy as it can be.

The technology company launches a new service for employers, Castlight Action, designed to help steer employees to the right health care at the right time.

Nearly three-quarters of employers who have yet to move to a private benefit exchange would consider or are looking for an insurance carrier-sponsored exchange — not one led by an independent company or consultant, new research finds.

The potential cost increases due to offering transgender health benefits is minimal because the population is small, says Human Rights Campaign.