Liazon launches private multi-carrier exchange
The Bright Choices Exchange is designed to offer ancillary benefits and access to mid-sized and large employers nationwide.
Healthcare reform
ACA employer mandate further delayed for segment of employer pop.
Employers with fewer than 100 workers wont have to provide health insurance until 2016 under Obamacare, as the administration said it would again delay a key requirement of the health law.
By
Alex Wayne
Hospital jobs in U.S. fall for second month on ACA change
Hospital jobs in the U.S. declined in back-to-back months for the first time in three years as medical care increasingly moves to outpatient facilities and hospitals anticipate reimbursement cuts under Obamacare.
SHOP is a flop for brokers across the nation
Brokers from Arkansas to Florida to New York lament that the Affordable Care Acts SHOP exchanges are undesirable targets to steer their clients to, leaving some independent agents who focused their businesses on individual public exchange enrollment in the lurch come March 31.
Benefits Think Satisfaction with benefit advisers shows room for improvement
How will the ACA and associated changes in the employee benefit market impact the role of the broker? A recent LIMRA survey of small businesses reveals areas where brokers need to step up to the plate.
AOL blames ACA for plan to reduce retirement benefits
AOL Inc. blamed President Barack Obamas health care law for its plan to reduce spending on contributions to employees 401(k) retirement plans.
Pharmacy benefits: Whats next?
As the dust settles over the Affordable Care Act and employees get used to operating in the post-ACA world, plan sponsors find themselves in somewhat of a holding pattern with regards to their pharmacy benefits. But strategic decisions are still in play about whether or not employers are going to provide traditional benefit plans once the employer mandate goes into effect in 2015 or send workers to public or private exchanges.
Obama may allow renewal of extended health plans, Aetna CEO says
Health plans allowed to continue in 2014 though they dont comply with new Obamacare rules may be extended for as long as three years, Aetna Inc. Chief Executive Officer Mark Bertolini told investors.
By
Alex Wayne
Insurers slash specialty hospitals to keep premiums low
Health insurers under pressure to keep premiums low are eliminating some hospitals from coverage in a cost-cutting strategy that threatens to freeze out centers that provide specialized care, limiting patient options.
Humana receives 202,000 ACA enrollment applications
Humana Inc. said it has received 202,000 applications for health insurance through the Obamacare exchanges and reaffirmed its 2014 forecast citing better-than-expected Medicare membership growth.
Benefits Think CBO says ACA kills jobs are you surprised?
Commentary: The other shoe dropped on Tuesday and columnist Craig Davidson isn't shocked.
ACA will reduce number of work hours by 2017, CBO estimates
Obamacare will reduce the total number of hours Americans work by the equivalent of 2 million full-time jobs in 2017, mostly among low-wage earners, the Congressional Budget Office said.
By
Alex Wayne
ACA insurers may be forced to broaden networks
Insurers participating in Obamacare may have to expand their plans to include more federally funded health clinics, safety-net hospitals and other medical providers used by low-income people, under a U.S. proposal.
By
Alex Wayne
IRS could be strained by ACA changes
Changes in the implementation of the Affordable Care Act could pose a challenge for the Internal Revenue Service's customer service, according to a new government report.
Obama says extent of ACA website flaws unexpected
President Barack Obama said neither he nor members of his administration anticipated the magnitude of the flaws that hobbled the startup of the federal website for people to choose health-care plans under his new law.
Brokers rockin and rollin on exchanges as public negativity continues
A Kaiser Family Foundation poll released Thursday shows Americans bad perception of the ACA is near an all-time high. Meanwhile, brokers negativity about their ability to do their jobs on the exchanges has subsided.
Public exchanges competitive with employer-sponsored plans
Premiums for health plans on new state exchanges under the Affordable Care Act are comparable to and in some cases lower than those being offered by employers with similar levels of coverage, according to a study released Thursday by PricewaterhouseCoopers Health Research Institute.
Americans continue to rate exchange rollout negatively
Despite fixes made to the health insurance marketplaces, two-thirds of Americans (66%) surveyed in mid-January still say the opening has not gone well or worse, according to a new Associated Press-GfK survey.
WellPoint adds 500,000 members from ACA
WellPoint Inc., the second-biggest U.S. medical insurer, added 500,000 new members since Obamacare enrollment began and while they are older and sicker than current members, CEO isnt worried about the risk pool.
Broker storefront takes voluntary sales away from worksite
EBA recently introduced a concept several brokers across the country are embracing the retail storefront. But one broker doesnt just want to attract individual clients to walk-in, he plans to use the space to enhance offerings for his group client employees, too.