Healthcare reform

President Barack Obama’s use of federal loans to bankroll untested businesses is sparking controversy again, this time over a $6 billion program to create nonprofit competitors to commercial health insurers.

A new study confirms that a majority of large and mid-size U.S. employers are planning to change provider payment models to become more cost effective.

The Kaiser analysis, penned by Cynthia Cox, Gary Claxton and Larry Levitt, says that if MLR had not been in effect, premiums for individual health insurance would have been $1.9 billion higher in 2012.

Anne Filipic, who helped Barack Obama secure a turning-point victory in the 2008 Iowa caucuses, plans to send thousands of volunteers door-to-door this year on a new campaign: to help the president sell the Affordable Care Act to the nation’s 50 million uninsured.

U.S. Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said she talked with health care companies she regulates, including Johnson & Johnson, about helping a nonprofit group publicize the Affordable Care Act.

When choosing an employer, about 87% of prospective employees favor a company that has a wellness program in place, finds Virgin HealthMiles. But with the return on investment of such programs in question, will they continue to gain favor with employers as well?

UnitedHealth Group Inc. will offer coverage in just a dozen of the Affordable Care Act’s new insurance exchanges, in the latest sign big insurers see little gain from quickly plunging into the new markets.

Prudential Financial Inc. and MetLife Inc. are moving onto Aflac Inc.’s turf selling protection against diseases and accidents as the largest insurers seek to add business tied to the Affordable Care Act and win valuations like their smaller rival.

Small employers cite ACA’s effects on premiums and hiring as chief concerns with health care reform, according to a survey.

Federal agencies release a slew of health care reform FAQs.

ADA, ACA and DOMA are all expected to affect FMLA compliance.

The political climate has become so volatile in Washington that working with Congress is becoming an ever-more difficult task, said the head of the National Association of Health Underwriters at a recent conference.

There are many things in life that are out of our control. We can complain, muse, become paralyzed - or we can choose to find and capitalize on the opportunity. What comes to mind is the Affordable Care Act and the concern, worry and anxiety that it has created for many.

Employee benefits lawyers analyze the new health care reform rules, including the five requirements all wellness programs must have.

The Departments of Labor, Treasury and Health and Human Services issued what are being called final rules on employment-based wellness programs, and advocacy groups immediately weighed in on the changes, which were required under the Affordable Care Act.

Businesses in the U.S. won more freedom to charge higher insurance premiums to workers who don’t meet health goals, or reward those who shape up, under rules released by the Obama administration.

With the ongoing shift in the business spurred by health reform, change itself is not enough to survive, said the head of a networking organization for independent benefit brokerages and consulting firms Wednesday in New Orleans.

While politicians in Washington argue over the Affordable Care Act, its ultimate fate is being decided far from Capitol Hill.

Craig Davidson on how cutting employee hours due to health reform may infringe upon federal law.

Jack Kwicien on how brokers can monetize relationships they already have by unveiling a new action plan.