Healthcare plans

Brokers cite rate increases, increased complexity and poor plan quality as top concerns with the health care law.

The Supreme Court’s ruling in M&G Polymers USA, LLC v. Tackett affirms the principles of contract law.

The tool, designed to help covered employees find doctors, understand health care finance, and meet health goals. is being piloted JPMorgan Chase and will expand to a select number of U.S. employers in 2015.

As the Affordable Care Act’s Cadillac tax looms, a majority of organizations in the U.S. are looking ahead to ways they can cut down on the costs of providing health care.

Plan fully integrates behavioral health with primary care for more meaningful results.

Employers are concerned multiemployer plans won’t count toward providing employees with health coverage, and may subject them to penalties. Here’s what they can do.

A new guide is available to help employers ensure their health plan vendors stay compliant with the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, and includes updated information on the ACA.

North American employers may take some – but not much – comfort in the knowledge that medical trend rates are a lot worse in other parts of the world.

Growth of high-deductible health plans continues to outpace other medical plan types – even in the face of lower employer contributions to health savings accounts.

Potential fixes to Affordable Care Act exchange enrollment and tweaks to the law itself are recommended by industry insiders at Washington panel.

Commentary: Research shows that three quarters of health care costs are related to the lifestyle choices of human beings. Adviser Joseph Appelbaum shares his D.C. firm’s cost-cutting success story.

Mid-sized and larger organizations are still struggling with at least three key ACA compliance requirements: exchange notice management, annual health care reporting and penalty management.

Stay current with this checklist of 2015 contribution limits for retirement and health care benefit plans.

Commentary: Post-Affordable Care Act increases should be setting off fiscal alarms, says Frenkel Benefits’ Craig Hasday, who predicts more expansion to come.

Despite worries about increasing health care costs for individuals, employee contributions to their health care plans are actually dropping, but employer cost and employee contributions also vary widely based on an employer’s industry, new research from UBA finds.

There’s little evidence that wearable fitness tracking device technology alone can change behavior and improve health for those that need it most, according to University of Pennsylvania researchers.

Congress’ first week was a busy one, as new lawmakers worked to make changes to the Affordable Care Act — changes employers should bear in mind as they develop their benefit plan and ACA compliance strategies in the coming year.

Stagnant wages and cost-shifting are putting more financial burden on employees, study says.

Brokers and employers applaud the recent push by Congress to revise the ACA 30-hour work week definition, but the change could mean an immediate workload increase for benefit advisers.

The New Year marks a start for ACA compliance, and while many employers struggle to comply with the specifics, it’s a good reminder to focus on where you are now and how you plan to move forward.