Why critical illness sales may be falling flat
Despite thousands of dollars spent on marketing, one key item is missing for critical illness insurance sales. What is it and how can four simple questions help improve sales?
Insurance
House votes unanimously to repeal ACA small group market expansion
The House has agreed to pass legislation that makes possible a repeal of the ACAs controversial expansion of the definition of a small employer a bill hailed by the benefits industry for protecting the small and mid-size businesses they feel the expansion threatens to harm.
The military angle: A unique way for brokers to help reduce medical costs
Offering a supplemental plan for retired military employees can save employers from potential claims and it also helps brokers add value to their clients and increase their book of business.
NY to shut ACA co-op with $265 million in loans
Health Republic Insurance of New York, the Affordable Care Act insurer that got $265 million in U.S. loans, will stop selling policies and eventually cease operations under orders from New York and federal regulators.
Benefits Think The ACA: Know your number
When it comes to benefits management, the most important number for any small to mid-sized business to know is how many full-time employees plus full-time equivalent employees it averaged in calendar year 2014.
Zack Pace
CBIZ
Outcomes-based wellness programs see little growth
Questions over program effectiveness, legality and data storage have employers hesitating to implement such plans.
IRS unveils health care page for large employers
The IRS has posted a webpage, dubbed the ACA Information Center for Applicable Large Employers, which features information and resources for employers on how the health care law may affect them.
On-off exchange analysis dispels adverse selection fears
Health insurance carriers have not poached healthier customers from the exchanges for plans sold outside the exchanges, which some feared would lead to adverse selection in the public exchange market, concludes a recent issue brief.
Health care premiums up, employers look for Cadillac tax curbing measures
If an employer says they dont have concerns about the Affordable Care Acts looming excise tax set to go into effect in 2018, theyre probably fibbing.
Court rules fixed indemnity sales can continue, despite ACA restrictions
The ruling is not likely to affect demand for individual fixed indemnity products, which have been on the decline, nor to have impact on overall health insurance market, experts say.
Has Zenefits raised the bar again for brokers with its free ACA compliance tool?
Zenefits announced today it is offering small and mid-sized employers an ACA compliance tool for free. Some industry experts say the offering raises the bar again for competing benefit brokers, but others claim it is too little, too late.
Benefits Think Support heats up for Cadillac tax repeal
Commentary: The employer community has made its voice clear on the Affordable Care Acts excise tax. Legislators seem to have heard. Will it make a difference?
Andrea Davis
Employee Benefit News
Senate bill aims to repeal Cadillac tax
U.S. Sens. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) introduced legislation Thursday seeking to repeal the Affordable Care Acts excise tax on high-cost group plans.
By
Phil Albinus
ACA helped pull uninsured rate down to 10.4% in 2014
The share of people without health insurance in the U.S. fell to 10.4 percent last year as the Affordable Care Acts expansion of public and private coverage programs took effect.
Benefits Think 5 health care industry trends to watch
Commentary: Data breaches, cost transparency and telehealth rank among the Health Research Institutes top trends plan sponsors need to pay attention to.
Don Antonucci
Regence BlueShield
How Healthcare.gov botched $600M worth of contracts
The public employees responsible for overseeing $600 million in contracts to build Healthcare.gov were inadequately trained, kept sloppy records, and failed to identify delays and problems that contributed to millions in cost overruns, a new government report finds.
By
John Tozzi
Public exchange enrollees missing out on cost-sharing reductions
Despite eligibility for cost-sharing reductions, more than 2 million public exchange enrollees did not select eligible plans.
Towers Watson to acquire Brovada
Professional services company Towers Watson has agreed to acquire Brovada, a Canadian insurance technology business best known for the BrovadaOne platform, an application for integrating and automating interactions between insurers, and their agents and brokers.
Lesson learned: How a private benefit exchange needs to prep for open enrollment
In the first year of open enrollment on its private benefit exchange, brokerage Lovitt & Touché made some mistakes. But the firm wont be repeating them, says the Phoenix-based brokerages senior vice president.
CCIIO to launch agent hotline for federal marketplace
Broker group hopeful hotline is first step in making enrollment through federally-facilitated marketplace an even playing field for agents and brokers