Obamacare enrollments hit 1.1M with December surge
More than 975,000 Americans signed up this month for health insurance under Obamacare, pushing total enrollment above 1.1 million in 36 states covered by the U.S. healthcare.gov website.
Healthcare reform
Tread carefully with electronic disclosures
ERISA permits e-disclosures but employers need to be aware of the rules.
Obamacare hits snag in states as U.S. site finds footing
From Maryland to Hawaii, Obamacares state-run enrollment operations are running into technical difficulties, creating new headaches for the White House even as the federal insurance website finds its footing.
Obamacare Deadline Extended One Day
(Bloomberg) Todays deadline for Americans to sign up for Obamacare health coverage effective Jan. 1 was extended until midnight tomorrow as heavy traffic to the online enrollment system caused a queuing system to be activated. Government technicians deploy the queuing system when traffic at the site, healthcare.gov, approaches 50,000 simultaneous users. Customers can request that an e-mail automatically be sent when traffic subsides.
By
Alex Wayne
Employee benefits compliance checklist for 2013 year end
2013 is not over yet. Employers and HR and benefits professionals must address these 14 compliance issues before the New Year begins. Timothy F. Kennedy is a partner in Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoadss Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Practice, concisely outlines retirement and health care issues that plan sponsors must consider in the following days.
Obama: Healthcare.gov one of biggest mistakes of 2013
President Barack Obama said the thousands of people now signing up for coverage under the Affordable Care Act overshadow the hit hes been taking in the polls for the defect-riddled roll-out of the Affordable Care Act.
Obama lifts health mandate for those with canceled plans
Hundreds of thousands of people whose health plans are being canceled because their coverage doesnt meet Obamacare rules will be exempt next year from the U.S. mandate that all Americans carry medical insurance.
Think seriously about ACA security for your clients
Security on the ACA exchanges needs to be taken very seriously by advisers.
2014 may be a year for mergers are you ready?
Columnist Jack Kwicien on how you go about selecting the right merger candidate.
A day in the life of John Garven
Benefits broker John Garven juggles enrollment meetings while using Twitter to amplify his business.
State-run HIX: enrollment up to 40% higher week-over-week
High enrollment numbers increase phone hold times on state exchanges, as computer enrollment keeps pace
ACA premium deadline extended 10 days by insurers
Much concern had been voiced about the ability for consumers and insurers alike to execute billing and payment between Dec. 23 and Dec. 31 for coverage effective Jan. 1. AHIP offered to extend that deadline to Jan. 10 on Wednesday.
You need emotional chops to sell voluntary
Its no surprise that the year ahead is going to mean skyrocketing voluntary sales. But experts say its no easy feat for health brokers trying to break into the business.
Aetna won’t renew canceled plans
Health insurers are being asked by the U.S. government to be lenient with Obamacare customers who miss the Dec. 23 deadline for enrolling in the program or are late with their initial payment. Meanwhile, Aetna says it will not renew canceled plans.
By
Alex Wayne
Sebelius calls for investigation of Healthcare.gov roll-out
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has asked the agencys inspector general to review the development of Healthcare.gov, among other steps, in order to take concrete action and prevent future issues, she announced in a Wednesday blog post.
Congressman accuses HHS of blocking Obamacare probe
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services told contractors not to cooperate with Congresss efforts to investigate work related to the Obamacare website, a top Republican lawmaker said.
Obamacare plan enrollments exceed 250,000 in November
More than 250,000 Americans selected private health insurance plans through Obamacare enrollment systems last month, better than twice as many as in October when the exchanges opened amid technology errors and outages.
By
Alex Wayne
Keep employers incentivized to provide benefits
Industry leaders discuss brokers to-dos for 2014, including technology developments and pending, unexpected competitors during a panel at Workplace Benefits Transitions.
Hidden Obamacare website costs show lack of transparency
President Barack Obamas health agency said it has spent $319 million building an online health-insurance marketplace through October.