Public exchange consumer decision support tools need improvement
Public health insurance exchange decision support tools improved somewhat in year two open enrollment compared to year one, but still have a way to go, research shows.
Insurance
Benefits Think Workplace culture is king
A successful employee benefit program has to be in harmony with the culture of the organization.
Robert Stumper
Corporate Synergies
Covered California touts modest rate hikes
Proposed rate increases for 2016 health insurance coverage that a dozen carriers will sell on Covered Californias state-run exchange will be just 4% compared to the 4.2% rise approved for 2015.
Benefits Think ACA myths: A bakers dozen
Separating fact from fiction when it comes to the Affordable Care Act is no easy task. Here are 13 common misconceptions about the law.
Zack Pace
CBIZ
Scott Walker unveils ACA replacement plan but can it work?
Republican presidential candidate Scott Walker stitched together a series of popular conservative health care ideas in his newly unveiled ACA replacement plan Tuesday.
Shareholders sue Towers Watson over Willis merger
Class action lawsuits claim the professional services firm breached its fiduciary duty by agreeing to the $18 billion deal.
Northwestern football players cannot form union: NLRB
Northwestern University football players cannot form a union, the National Labor Relations Board ruled, overturning a March 2014 decision and ending the players bid to change the college sports landscape.
Are brokers the answer for reaching remaining uninsureds in the U.S.?
The uninsured rate in the United States is at one of the lowest points since tracking began, and in states with state-based exchanges the uninsured rate is lower than those using the federal marketplace. But is there enough incentive for brokers to continue to play a vital role in exchange enrollment?
Benefits Think Small employers look to alternative funding solutions
Employer groups under 100 lives will soon be subject to community rating, which could lead to increased costs.
Arthur Hall
USI Insurance Services
How the gay marriage ruling impacts group benefits
Employers have some decisions to make regarding coverage for spouses and domestic partners following the Obergefell ruling. If there are any modifications to a policy, its crucial theyre reflected in the plan document and that employees and TPAs are informed about such changes.
Federal marketplace may have wrongly issued subsidies
The federal health insurance marketplace may have issued subsides to persons not eligible to receive them during the first open enrollment period, a new report from the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General has found.
Benefits Think Anthem/Cigna deal: Not a big deal for benefit advisers
Commentary: The brokers dependence on the medical carriers and their value to the brokers business business has about run its course, says columnist Nelson Griswold.
Times are good for insurance brokers
Independent insurance brokers recorded a median organic growth of nearly 6% for the second quarter of 2015, continuing a growth trend thats been steady for the past few years.
Connecticut exchange first in line for self-sufficiency
Connecticuts AccessHealthCT is poised to become the nations first state-run marketplace that will be financially self-sustaining in 2016 when federal grants end for these online marketplaces as stipulated under the Affordable Care Act.
Montanans re-enroll in exchange plans in droves
While Montana has one of the nations lowest head counts, it ranked a close second behind New Hampshire in terms of the highest rate of 2015 public exchange re-enrollment among 34 states that direct their residents to Healthcare.gov.
Brokers played essential role with 2015 ACA open enrollment
Brokers continue to be a vital resource for individuals enrolling in health care coverage on the marketplaces setup under the ACA, with some brokers saying in 2015 they helped more than 100 individuals enroll in health care coverage on the marketplaces.
ADP promises to work with brokers on new private exchange
Working in partnership with USI and GoHealth, the payroll firms platform will serve populations with employer-provided benefits as well as those who must purchase through public exchanges.
NAHU, AHIP to offer broker training for federal health exchange
For the first time, brokers and agents will be eligible to receive continuing education credits through the training, which is required to eligible to sell on the federal marketplace.
Senators question CMS over state-based marketplace reimbursements
Three Republican senators have sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services expressing concern for the lack of oversight for more than $1 billion in federal grants given to state-based marketplaces.
Consumers in state-based marketplaces said, I better shop around
State-based marketplaces were overall quite successful in retaining enrollees, however, a large number of consumers shopping within the marketplace during 2015 open enrollment decided to switch plans based on the price of services offered.