Healthcare reform

Members of Congress came out swinging Wednesday at a committee hearing with top insurers called as witnesses to determine whom of the more than 8 million Obamacare enrollees have paid their first month’s premium.

Three large health insurers including WellPoint Inc. and Aetna Inc. say that a high percentage of their new Obamacare customers are paying their first premiums, undermining a Republican criticism of enrollment in the program.

Obamacare reduced the percentage of U.S. adults without health insurance to its lowest point since 2008 even as the law remains unpopular with the public, separate surveys showed.

While many in the industry think voluntary sales is a no-brainer for benefit advisers and employees alike, there's one type of product that hasn't seen a boost thanks to the ACA.

The self-insurance option for small businesses doesn’t seem to be as popular for managing ACA costs and mandates as some in the industry once thought.

This insurance rule, referring to the grouping of companies owned by the same person, hasn’t applied to medical coverage until now. One broker is concerned that benefit advisers and small business owners alike aren’t up to speed on this requirement and could be vulnerable to liabilities via penalties and lawsuits.

Many employers have yet to update their work policies to reflect the 90-day waiting period rule, a possible landmine for employee confusion and lawsuits.

Higher consumer spending on health services, increased prescriptions for costly medications and more elective surgeries suggests Americans are using the insurance they gained under Obamacare.

How many individuals and families that selected a health plan in the federally facilitated health insurance marketplace have paid their first month’s premium? Depends on whom you ask.

Now that tax season is over, Uncle Sam will be turning his attention to another pressing matter.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a NAHU-backed bill exempting expatriate health plans from the ACA.

Unbeknownst to your clients, prescription drugs are likely costing them a great deal. As their trusted adviser, here’s how you can help.

Despite the Affordable Care Act exceeding its enrollment goals, Americans’ view on the law remains unchanged and a majority believe enrollment fell short of expectations.

One thing is certain as Cover Oregon switches over to Healthcare.gov, more work for brokers.

New research provides a glimpse into just how dire of a situation employers are in as they face rising health care costs and the desire to continue offering a competitive benefits package.

While benefit brokers applaud HHS efforts to hold ACA exchange navigators to licensing and certification standards, many worry federal regulation will undermine state efforts already in place.

CMS has reset all Healthcare.gov user passwords in response to the Heartbleed internet security bug, causing frustration for consumers and brokers, alike.

A program for sick Americans who were previously denied insurance coverage has been further extended, with individuals now given until the end of June to purchase coverage.

Oregon’s health insurance exchange, plagued by computer flaws after federal taxpayers spent $303 million to build it, may be closed and the state’s customers shifted to the U.S. Obamacare marketplace.

Benefit advisers should be familiar with certain grace periods when employers can avoid penalties.