Healthcare plans

Towers Watson has signed a web broker entity agreement with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which supervises the health insurance exchange operated by the federal government in 36 states.

Ahead of Jan. 1, 2014, when all Americans will be required to have health insurance, insurers should be focusing on making their web presence as user-friendly and informative as possible.

Lawyer Garrett Fenton speaks to EBN about the Affordable Care Act's transitional reinsurance program and why employers need to start preparing for it now.

Dianne Howard, director of risk and benefits management for Florida’s Palm Beach County school district, takes EBN’s 2013 Benny Award for Benefits Leadership in Health Care.

Migrating employees to the exchanges isn’t right for every organization. But if employees would view exchange offerings as equal or better than what they current have, then there could be plenty of upsides.

Robin Gelburd, president of FAIR Health, Inc., responds to an article by Contributing Editor Shana Sweeney about her struggles with educating employees about the costs of out-of-network claims.

The Supreme Court's decision striking down the federal Defense of Marriage Act is being hailed as a huge victory for same-sex couples, but the ruling makes benefits administration for employers even more complicated than before.

Five ways employers can encourage better maternity care.

Population health management addresses societal factors that contribute to employee decisions.

What employers should know about the ACA provision governing clinical trials.

For individuals to be informed consumers, they must be able to compare health care costs.

A new tool for brokers to bring cost savings to clients — it involves creative plan design.

Employees don’t know about consumer-driven health care. Once they learn more, they say they don’t want it. So what’s a broker to do?

Fifteen percent of employers say they “definitely will not” or “probably will not” continue sponsoring coverage in five years.

Hospital admissions have been falling as patients who have seen their deductibles rise put off seeing a doctor and as some types of services are being shifted away from inpatient to outpatient treatment.

During the last three years, 44% of those questioned say that 10% or fewer of their current clients had asked about possible life insurance strategies.

Along with tying your shoes and naming your colors, you learned to count in preschool. So, how hard can it be to count things in health data? It’s not hard, but your preschool strategies won’t give you the right answer.

Five unnamed U.S. employers will offer benefits through Mercer’s private exchange, the Mercer Marketplace, starting in 2014, the company announced Monday.

Already topping $20 billion a year, UnitedHealthcare predicts its contract reimbursements to hospitals, physicians and ancillary care providers linked to accountable care will hit $50 billion by 2017.

UnitedHealth Group Inc. says it will more than double payments to physicians tied to quality and cost efficiency within five years, in the latest sign of transformation in the American medical system.