Insurance

The Department of Health and Human Services announced Friday that Andrew Slavitt, the second-ranking official at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, will take over the role of administrator of CMS in an acting capacity following the resignation of Marilyn Tavenner.

Employer-sponsored health insurance premiums grew more slowly in 31 states and the District of Columbia between 2010 and 2013, following passage of the Affordable Care Act, but they still grew more quickly than household incomes.

Mid-sized and larger organizations are still struggling with at least three key ACA compliance requirements: exchange notice management, annual health care reporting and penalty management.

From the launch of the exchanges to the outbreak of Ebola, 2014 brought a number of landmark events that remind us why it is such a fascinating time to work in health care.

Despite worries about increasing health care costs for individuals, employee contributions to their health care plans are actually dropping, but employer cost and employee contributions also vary widely based on an employer’s industry, new research from UBA finds.

Advisers share why they entered the private exchange business and key players detail how to help employer clients chose the right exchange.

Few plan sponsors have bought into the idea of annually automatically re-enrolling participants in a qualified default investment alternative, such as a target-date fund, as a means of assuring that their assets are allocated in a manner experts would consider appropriate for retirement investing.

Commentary: To survive the ongoing thinning of the herd, columnist Nelson Griswold asks what are you planning to do differently in 2015 to remain relevant to your clients and grow your business?

Commentary: There are a lot of innovative options that have been implemented by those who are being proactive and who are changing their roles as employee benefit advisers. Columnist Jack Kwicien shares their competitive advantage.

The advent of private and public health care exchanges has expanded employers’ horizons to consider subsidizing pre-Medicare eligible retiree health benefits through the individual market.

President Obama late Monday signed into law NARAB II, the highly-anticipated legislation re-establishing the National Association of Registered Agents and Brokers, creating a clearinghouse that would ease the ability of brokers to sell insurance in states across the U.S.

Accidents are inevitable and they come in many forms – from minor injuries to life-changing events – and the right accident insurance can be a critical layer of financial protection for many employees.

There’s little evidence that wearable fitness tracking device technology alone can change behavior and improve health for those that need it most, according to University of Pennsylvania researchers.

Commentary: While agents providing these value-added services have disrupted the market and changed the nature of the benefit sales game, they were but a precursor to the far bigger disruptor taking over huge chunks of the benefits marketplace, says columnist Mel Schlesinger.

Congress’ first week was a busy one, as new lawmakers worked to make changes to the Affordable Care Act — changes employers should bear in mind as they develop their benefit plan and ACA compliance strategies in the coming year.

Stagnant wages and cost-shifting are putting more financial burden on employees, study says.

Brokers and employers applaud the recent push by Congress to revise the ACA 30-hour work week definition, but the change could mean an immediate workload increase for benefit advisers.

Commentary: Benefit Advisors Network’s Perry Braun outlines how a national agent and broker licensing process stands to impact advisers and other key stakeholders, including clients.

In an attempt to improve retirement savings rates, Illinois becomes one of the first states to enact a retirement savings plan for people who lack workplace access to 401(k) plans.

Benefitfocus' Shandon Fowler shares about his company, which provides the technology behind the private exchange offerings of top players like Aetna and Mercer.