Practice management

Commentary: Blogger Craig Hasday wants you to know what this new law could mean for advisers, and Washington.

Despite a reliance on Healthcare.gov because their state-run exchange legislation was passed later than others, Idaho came out on top during open enrollment 2014 and the state has brokers to thank for a lot of it.

While many firms are back in hiring mode, one strategic private company adviser says companies can boost their bottom line and retain their qualified workforce by working to offer a more competitive total benefits package to current workers.

When the government announced last summer that it was delaying the employer mandate, many employers let out a sigh of relief. They relaxed. However, now it’s time to pick up the pace again. Before you know it, 2015 and 2016 will be here and the ACA will be an everyday reality for employers.

Despite great strides in broad employer acceptance of flexible work arrangements, the idea that being physically present in the office means higher productivity is still alive and well.

Most times when we think of the idea of bullying we associate it with the schoolyard. However, workplace bullying is a real issue facing benefit departments. Bullying can affect the mental health and productivity of employees, and the bottom line of companies that fail to deal with it.

One brokerage has gone as far as to create a position internally to only analyze claims. Why you need to get on the data bandwagon, too.

Benefit advisers should be familiar with certain grace periods when employers can avoid penalties.

Topping the recent California rate of 39%, brokers on this state-run exchange completed more than 36,000 of the private health plan enrollments. Their record with SHOP enrollments, however, was a different story.

IRS issues annual health spending account contribution limits and out-of-pocket maximums.

Only a little over half of small businesses understand and are prepared for the changes required by the Affordable Care Act, according to a new survey.

Commentary: Blogger Andy Torelli says after the first ACA enrollment, we’re still years away from knowing the true efficacy of the law. What can advisers learn from this limbo period?

Why trusted advisers should be sharing this growing retirement income strategy with their clients.

Julie Jennings, vice president at Sylvia Group of Insurance Agencies in Darmouth, Mass., shares a day in her life.

When the public exchanges were first envisioned, some industry analysts thought most employers eventually would head for the exits on financing health benefits and simply steer their employees into the nascent online marketplace. That hasn’t happened, of course, and it’s far too early in the HIX rollout to expect any meaningful change to occur.

Commentary: Blogger Wendy Keneipp advises how to grow your business with services outside the scope of insurance you likely already have the skills for.

While no public exchange was without troubles during the first ACA open-enrollment period, one state in particular put unique efforts into its SHOP component and saw results.

As Covered California announces the rate at which agents enrolled consumers on the state-run public exchange, two different realities are emerging from agents throughout the most populous U.S. state.

Commentary: Blogger Sam Fleet reminds benefit advisers that religious institutions need benefits, too. Here are some special considerations to take into account:

While just over half of employers in a recent survey said it was very important for a private exchange to accept ERISA fiduciary responsibilities for the plans purchased on the exchange, the reality is employers cannot offload their fiduciary responsibility by moving to a private exchange, say legal experts.