Insurance

Commentary: While these FMLA changes don’t require any immediate action or changes to employers’ benefit plans, they could serve as a catalyst for federal officials and agencies to further extend their reach into benefits programs, says Sam Fleet.

UnitedHealth Group Inc. agreed to buy Catamaran Corp. for about $12.8 billion, bulking up its drug-benefits business to get better negotiating power in talks with pharmaceutical companies over prices.

Aetna has agreed to reduce out-of-pocket payments for most HIV and AIDS medicines after pressure from an advocacy group, revising coverage that had some patients paying $1,000 a month for the drugs.

Not every budget vote in Thursday's Senate marathon is particularly telling. The vote on SA 798, one of Washington Senator Patty Murray's amendments, is an exception.

After two enrollment seasons under the Affordable Care Act's exchanges, the easily accessible and amenable are signed up for health care. With year three starting this fall, the task will be tougher to target the remaining uninsured, who are harder to reach. Who better to drive the message home, Washington state thinks, than brokers?

As employers face the threat of EEOC investigations into their wellness programs, Congress contemplates legislation in support of financial incentives for wellness programs. But are employers focused on the wrong issue?

Commentary: Making the “people and profits” case for integrated safety, health and wellness.

Commentary: In response to confusion over the IRS’s role in verifying employers are meeting minimum essential coverage and employer shared responsibility requirements, dozens of ACA reporting have entered the market in the last two years. EmployeeTech’s Michael Weiskirch shares how to find the right tracking solution for your clients.

At current savings rates, Americans are on track to replace over half of their current income in retirement. Having access to a workplace-sponsored retirement plan, meanwhile, is the No. 1 factor in determining retirement success.

The push for accountable care organizations is driven in large part by the Affordable Care Act and its emphasis on quality care and downward pressure on overall health costs. But how viable are they, and should your organization consider using one?

The “profoundly evil” impression the fastest growing small-group employee benefit brokerage in the country has made on some firms is wrong, says Zenefits’ Parker Conrad. The outspoken CEO shares where Zenefits is headed — and why he wants you to work for him.

Commentary: The loyalty and bonds of the fire department can translate well into a successful insurance culture, says retired fire fighter, Colonial's Brian Summers.

Commentary: From mournful reflection to birthday celebration, the bottom line is your attitude about health reform affects your clients, says David C. Smith

As American workers are increasingly looking to a new range of employer-sponsored retirement products to help guarantee some securely funded golden years, they may be missing out on the advantages of a system they’ve paid into their entire working lives.

The 114th Congress is expected to tackle a number of issues that could have major implications for employers and alter strategies organizations currently use to communicate and manage benefits.

Many exchange budgets are being cut at the same time states are struggling to reach their remaining uninsured, and some are looking to brokers to provide assistance in filling that gap.

In recent years, a number of states have begun toying with the idea of creating their own retirement systems to help smaller employers provide workers rudimentary retirement savings opportunities.

The still-under-development federal fiduciary standard for retirement advisers has many in the industry genuinely concerned about their ability to continue to serve both employers and individual American savers.

Although most employers who move to private exchanges are seeing some cost savings below trend in their initial years, that is not sustainable over time, says Rob Harkins, practice leader, private exchanges at Willis Group. For Willis, the exchange is not designed to be a long-term money-saving product on its own, but rather part of a larger program for its clients to manage health and wellbeing.

A fiduciary’s decisions around the investment plan menus should be less about what other plans offer, and more about what is in plan participants’ best interests.