Healthcare plans

Plan sponsors who forget to actually do discrimination testing run into all sorts of problems, including the possibility that their plan can be disqualified. To pass the Section 105(h) nondiscrimination rules an employer must meet two separate tests.

Enrollment in health savings accounts jumped to more than 11.4 million as of Jan. 1, 2011, according to an annual census released June 14.

Almost 80 percent of employers anticipate that there will be an increased demand for access to savings and investment advice about their 401(k) plans, according to a new survey.

Thomson Reuters, a major vendor of business intelligence services and technology spanning multiple industries, intends to divest its health care operations.

Two out of three workers would purchase additional health insurance benefits to make sure they are protected, according to a report from Aflac. Fifty-nine percent of respondents said they would acquire voluntary insurance.

At least 30% of employers are likely to stop offering health insurance once provisions of the U.S. health care reform law kick in in 2014, according to a study by the global management consulting firm.

Group medical premiums continue to increase nationwide, according to the May Employee Benefits Market Survey conducted by The Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers. Since the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was enacted last year, many carriers and brokers blame the legislation for the increase rates, states a CIAB news release.

Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., has introduced bipartisan legislation that aims to bring parity and equal treatment under the tax code for health plan beneficiaries who are domestic partners and non-spouse dependents.

Plan sponsors say that they “find comfort” in their advisers and the services they deliver, according to preliminary results from a comprehensive study to research the benefits that plan sponsors gain from working with professional retirement plan advisers.

Employers are putting the onus on employees to help curb rising health care costs, and the inability to motivate and change employee habits is prompting concern, according to Aon Hewitt, a global human resource consulting and outsourcing business of Aon Corp.

Americans' use of medical services has not yet rebounded during the weak economy, health insurers say, in a trend that keeps the companies' costs down and could bolster their profits further this year.

Medco Health Solutions said on Wednesday that the loss of a major pharmacy benefit contract to rival CVS Caremark starting next year did not represent a trend.

Chief financial officers at some of the nation's largest banks and financial services firms are downright bullish on the U.S. economy's overall outlook but nagging concerns about health care reform and the uncertainty of those costs are tempering their optimism.

One skill that epitomizes the successful benefit adviser is selling. From the dollar-and-cents results to the art of persuasion, benefit advisers understand the sales process. So why not use that skill to assist human resource professionals in selling their C-suite on a corporate wellness program?

Benefits administrators have an important role in informing employees of coverage offerings and how multiple benefits can work together. But oftentimes, especially in these days of employer cutbacks and cost-saving measures, that role falls to the employee benefit broker or adviser.

Multiple sclerosis is a disease that may not show symptoms, and most importantly, no two types of the disease are the same. So, employers may find it difficult to effectively engage and accommodate employees with MS. However, with a comprehensive case management program that also focuses on specialty pharmacy and simple accommodations, employers can foster a welcoming workplace atmosphere while saving on insurance and pharmacy costs.

The flowers are blooming. The mad rush of lost ID cards and questions about new benefits has faded into distant memory. That means that it's time to start planning for next year! Your insurance carriers are calling you to schedule a lengthy meeting to review your annual data from the prior year and attempting sell you additional products and offerings.

Health insurance exchanges under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act may pose a threat to COBRA.

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal (R) has signed into law a bill that allows state residents to purchase individual health insurance policies across state lines.

Vermont became the first state to lay the groundwork for single-payer health care on Thursday when its governor signed an ambitious bill aimed at establishing universal insurance coverage for all residents.