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.

Premera Blue Cross, serving the Northwest and Alaska, was hacked beginning last May, and even more sensitive data was exposed than in the Anthem hack.

As many as 90,000 Sears employees are finding it easier to shop for health care, are savvier about their coverage choices and finally understand the meaning of value since the 129-year-old retailer switched to a private health insurance exchange three years ago.

Some employees can’t even afford to wait for their next paycheck to arrive, and for them there’s a new app for that – assuming their employer is willing to go along with it.

Calling it the most personal device the company has ever created, Apple on Monday officially launched its smartwatch designed as a “comprehensive health and fitness companion.”

A new initiative announced by the White House Monday will bring $100 million in grant opportunities to create new high-tech jobs.

Rather than drop benefits in the Americas, which Hilton says would hurt not only its employees but hotel guests too, the company decided to move to a private exchange. During that process, one of the biggest critics of the move was the company’s vice president of benefits.

Commentary: HR professionals must band together to share how we are handling our ACA reporting responsibilities and to pressure our vendor suppliers for better solutions and continued innovation, says Lockton's Matthew Kaiser.

Americans are sedentary, and physical activity levels are abysmal. It’s no secret that being active is associated with profound benefits.

Industry analysts praise one-stop shopping tools as a positive reason why many employers are moving to private exchanges. At Xerox’s Buck Consultants, 100% of employees enrolling through the company’s exchange engaged with its technology — and made an average of 11.5 return visits, says Sherri Brockhorst, leader of the RightOpt exchange at Buck.

The many tradeoffs that health insurers had to make from both a regulatory and plan-design standpoint in order to adapt under the Affordable Care Act appear to be paying off as the landmark legislation approaches its five-year mark.

Employers have the ability to accumulate enormous amounts of information about a wide variety of subjects, and leveraging that data can be very powerful and impactful.

Technology has clearly revolutionized health care – from mobile apps that help employees stay fit and eat right to telemedicine that brings operational efficiency to treatment. But perhaps most compelling is the way it is helping elevate the open-enrollment experience in keeping with the intended consumer-friendly spirit of the Affordable Care Act.

Agentreview.net launches this month, aiming to give consumers one location to find and critique local insurance agents.

As many brokerages offer a private exchange to their clients, carriers who run their own are working extra hard to educate customers about their offerings, says Lisa Feddema, director, exchange management, Health Care Service Corp.

President Barack Obama said the number of Internet threats against the U.S. government and business computers necessitates a coordinated effort by federal and private security specialists.

Commentary: Collective information is the new frontier when it comes to big data in the health care realm, says Lockton’s Kayla O’Neal

Smartphone-based activity and fitness apps are just as accurate as those found on dedicated wearable devices, and may be a more economical alternative for most people.

The cyber attack might affect group health plans, and plan sponsors need to identify if and/or how they are affected and what they need to do in response.

As employees are inundated with communication from every direction, the reality of message overload poses a challenge for employers who need to get essential information through to their workforce.