Practice management

Commentary: Technology helps, but it does not replace the expertise and experience of a broker. Rather, it helps to elevate what the broker can supply to a level that is equal to consumer demand, says Zywave’s Dave O’Brien.

Commentary: There is no better time to be a broker, says Zywave’s Dave O’Brien.

Industry trade groups and associations flooded the DOL with suggested amendments and revisions to its proposed fiduciary rule, ahead of the July 21 deadline for comments.

How San Francisco-based Equity Risk Partners’ focus on private equity firms had made the small firm a big player in the niche market.

Commentary: Hiring a part-timer in commission insurance sales is never a bad thing, says adviser Eric Silverman, who shares two tips to make the best out of the process.

Commentary: It is not necessary to have an intricate knowledge of every IDI product provision to help clients get the income protection they need.

Commentary: Your internal work environment may be holding you back from attracting top people and creating exceptional new experiences for clients. The definition of “work” is changing as quickly as technology emerges and millennials enter the workforce, moving into spheres of influence. None of us, including clients, are limited by a single idea of work and we need to re-imagine it altogether.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services estimates that more than 77,000 brokers and agents assisted with enrollments on the federally-facilitated marketplace in year two open enrollment, up 46% from the year prior.

Clients are turning to their benefit adviser for technology support — something brokers have to provide. Choosing a partner with the same goals and understanding the entire process are essential.

Commentary: Hispanics comprise almost 17% of today’s U.S. population. This demographic represents the most significant population trend in Americans under 65 in the next 20 years. This isn't just a population trend, your sales depend on recognizing the cultural shift happening underneath your feet.

Companies are shifting their attention to health coverage for their pre-65 retiree population and exploring the opportunities public exchanges provide this population, now that the Supreme Court has upheld subsides on the federally-facilitated health insurance marketplace.

Millions are covered under employee stock ownership plans, which take a considerable amount of research and planning before implementation.

As employers search for ways to trim health care costs, advisers are increasingly exploring the use of data to steer plan design.

Zenefits has filed a motion to dismiss an anti-defamation lawsuit filed against it by payroll services giant ADP, continuing a heated row between the two companies that Zenefits says comes down to a a fight for “consumer choice.”

In the constantly changing health insurance business, the only way to stay ahead of the competition is to reinvest in your company, your employees and your technology. That’s what Sparks, Md.-based Kelly & Associates Insurance Group has been doing. What can smaller firms learn from Kelly and why is the continual reinvestment so important?

Commentary: The California labor commissioner recently ruled that a San Francisco driver is an employee, not an independent contractor. While the ruling applies to only one driver, it is one of a growing number of decisions that may have far-reaching implications.

To stay abreast of private exchange trends, advisers, employers, insurers and other legal and industry experts will share their insights about private exchanges at this year’s EBA/EBN Private Healthcare Exchanges conference in downtown Chicago, July 23-24.

Advisers who excel in the vision field do the best job of making the connection between vision and medical plans, some experts say. Shannon Enders, a founding partner at Lakeshore Employee Benefits in Norton Shores, Mich., says when he brings the idea of connecting vision and health data to clients’ attention, “they quickly become very interested.”

Commentary: Delivering fee disclosure notices to both plan sponsors and plan participants has helped some plan sponsors to lower their costs, but the various fee disclosures are still difficult for many to understand. With such a national focus on fees, some plan sponsors have taken the opportunity to review and rethink how they handle plan fees.

Commentary: Columnist Nelson Griswold discusses why sophisticated employee benefit advisers are increasingly discussing self-funding of the health plan with mid-size employers.