Healthcare plans

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s vigorous zeal for employer compliance with the Americans with Disability Act is not showing any signs of letting up. As a result, legal advisers in the labor and employment field recommend that employers of all sizes conduct a thorough review of their policies and accommodations.

If it “smells like a benefit plan,” you likely have to follow ERISA, said one speaker at the National Association of Health Underwriters annual convention in Scottsdale, Ariz. Here are some general tips benefit advisers need to know about complying with this law, for your clients and their employees alike.

Multiple vendors providing best-of-breed solutions that are not integrated with each other present budgeting, deployment and management costs and challenges for benefit managers.

While health plans with accompanying HSAs are becoming increasingly popular, there’s evidence that employees aren’t always seizing the opportunity to save, or save the maximum amount.

Still in their infancy, private exchanges present a tremendous opportunity to rein in health care spending and help HR deal with more pressing issues. But what makes a good one, and how are they growing?]

With the employer mandate just around the corner, small- and medium-sized businesses are beginning to consider so-called "skinny" health plans to provide basic coverage and avoid major penalties.

In a major 5-4 ruling on religious freedom, the Supreme Court of the United States Monday ruled that religious rights of two Christian company owners trumped the rights of its employees to receive full contraceptive coverage promised by mandates in the Affordable Care Act.

“The majority of Americans, including many small business owners, are still confused about the health reform legislation,” according to Health Partners America, a broker training and education organization. Here are 10 FAQs about the Affordable Care Act and its implications for small businesses.

While many brokers consider leaving the industry in response to the changing health care environment, most agree that reform has created a huge opportunity for advisers willing to adapt.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Thursday announcement that consumers already enrolled in marketplace plans in 2014 can auto-enroll for 2015 is largely positive for brokers, though the decision is symbolically unsettling to some.

Benefit broker and former lawyer David C. Smith breaks down this question that has been somewhat controversial in the past few months, yet he says has a very clear answer.

Millions of dollars have been spent to make sure consumers have an immediate, even emotional response to the logos of global brands such as Nike, Coca-Cola and Apple. So can individual employers use the same strategies to build strong “identity loyalty” among their own employees?

Road to Workplace Benefits Mania: Ahead of the July conference, speaker Scott Snow says that most employers have a large health care cost problem and aren’t aware that many employees have working spouses who can be covered by their own plan.

Although some employers are considering and even implementing a private exchange option for their employees, many remain skeptical of the immaturity of the marketplace and employee readiness.

Wondering if your wellness program is delivering the goods or just delivering good profits to your vendor? Intel and GE’s joint venture Validation Institute will tell you. Think of it as a new sheriff in the wild west of wellness ROI, armed with science and a calculator.

In a final rule published today, the U.S. Departments of Labor, Treasury and Health and Human Services say employers can require employee orientation periods to become eligible for health benefits, but say they cannot last longer than one month.

Road to Workplace Benefits Mania: Ahead of the July conference, keynote speaker Ben Geyerhahn previews his strategy for brokers to mitigate health costs — Medicaid migration.

A nearly 7% spike in health care costs in 2015 can be attributed to a revitalized economy, the modernization of health care technology and the drastic increase in specialty drug use.

More than four years before the Affordable Care Act was signed into law, a county government in the state of Washington took action on its skyrocketing health care costs, becoming one of the first counties in the country to tie out-of-pocket health care expenses to participation in wellness activities.

As the Affordable Care Act continues to necessitate the evolution of the benefit adviser’s role with individual and employer clients, knowing about the tax ramifications of the health law is a must.